Risen From The Ashes
by CryInSorrow
Summary: Dick and Jason left something unresolved. Dick said something he regrets and wants desperately to fix it, and Jason is just trying to forget and move on, but feelings as strongly as his don't just disappear. [Sequel] - In My Remains
1. Broken

**Broken**

A whole week and Dick hadn't heard a word from Jason. He'd sent texts, e-mails, tried to call, contact him any way he could, but to no avail. The night Jason disappeared, he went back to the apartment and got a real ear full from Roy. Roy was pissed, and why shouldn't he be? Jason was his best friend! And Dick had said something so... _cruel_ to him. He practically called Jason an animal!

And he'd felt terrible about it since. He'd moved back to Gotham just a few nights ago, applied for a transfer to the GCPD. It wasn't a decision he made lightly, and something he'd been thinking about for a long time. He imagined Jason moving in with him and maybe the two of them starting some kind of relationship, but he completely fucking blew it.

He knew Jason and Roy were still living together because he'd seen Roy around Gotham. But when he went to their apartment building, it was apparent that they'd moved. Every time Dick tried to ask Roy about it, the man would snap at him and essentially told him to 'fuck off'. Once again, Dick couldn't blame him. Not after the way he'd treated Jason.

Barbara was more merciful than Roy had been and she understood Dick's anger, but she didn't let him off the hook without a lecture about his behavior toward Jason that night. After the conversation he and Jason had had, it almost seemed certain they would finally try and...be together. But Dick had to go and blow it. Barbara eased it to him, but that was essentially the just of what she was saying.

So here he was now, Nightwing, out on patrol in Gotham. It was a large city, so there was plenty of room for one more vigilante. He'd met up with Batman and Robin on a drug bust last night and tonight was just a standard patrol until he came onto the border of the Bowery, the Arkham Knight's territory. Of all the regions of Gotham, the Bowery's crime rate was by far the lowest, a dramatic change fro once having been the highest in the city. Red Hood and his Arkham Knights were hailed as heroes by the people that lived there, despite the mayor and the GCPD's best efforts to slander them as crooks and gang bangers.

Secretly, many on the force admired the Red Hood and the Arkham Knights, Commissioner Gordon included. He'd be the first to freely admit he didn't like how they operated, but nor could he argue with the results. To keep the peace, the GCPD left the Bowery alone, and for the most part, the Arkham Knights obeyed the laws; no executions unless absolutely necessary. They'd often leave their captures opn the borders of the Bowery for the GCPD to pick up.

At one point, the mayor considered removing the Knights by force, but Commissioner Gordon intervened, showing the good mayor that the cost of a full blown war with the Knights would far out weigh the benefits of keeping them around. Honestly? Dick was impressed. Very impressed. And that also made him feel even more like shit for what he'd said to Jason.

"Looking for Jason again?" came Oracle's voice over the comm link, pulling Nightwing out of his thoughts. Nightwing gave a sigh, scanning the city below one final time before he walked away from the edge of the building where he'd been perched.

"Maybe," he replied in a soft tone. He heard Oracle tsk from the other end.

"Look, I know you feel like shit, but what's done is done. If Jason doesn't want to see you, there's not much you can do about it."

"But I _have_ to see him Babs. I was so...awful to him. I need to make it right," he replied with a tired sigh, swinging fro the building and into the Bowery.

"I know Dickie. And you will, but it has to be on _Jason's_ terms-"

"Weren't you the one telling me to pursue Jason after I explained to you-" Dick began with a smirk tugging at his lips. He heard a half annoyed, half playful sigh from Barbara as she interrupted.

"Yes, yes, but this is different!" Gunshots rang out in the distance and it was time to be Nightwing again.

"Be careful," Oracle said softly, having heard the gunshots. Nightwing followed the sound, which led to a run down warehouse in the Bowery. The Arkham Knights were nowhere to be found, but he could hear gunshots inside.

Curious, Nightwing decided to investigate. He silently slipped inside the building and found a bunch of Steven Drake's thugs fighting...someone. Drake was currently locked up in Blackgate, sentenced to 150 years in prison, mostly for child trafficking. True to his word, Bruce kept his promise and made sure Drake went away. If he could use his influence as Bruce Wayne, he made some... _visits..._ as Batman, to ensure a clean trial. But apparently, the remnants of Drake's gang were still clinging to the Bowery. Like rats, it seemed they were difficult to get rid of.

Nightwing drew his escrima sticks, sticking the the shadows in the rafters above as he snuck to the back of the warehouse and hopped down to cut off their escape. Nightwing stood in front of the exit with a cocky grin on his face as the thugs stopped in front of him, faces screwed up in fear.

"Well, well, well, what have we here? Up to no good I'd guess? Oh no, not Steven Drake's men! You guys are paragons of virtue!" Nightwing said, voice dripping with sarcasm. And just like always, they attempted to fight their way out. Nightwing twisted and contorted, ducking and weaving through their attacks with ease, raining escrima blows upon them as he practically danced around them.

In the flurry of movement and swinging escrima sticks, the men were knocked out cold, scattered all over the floor.

"It's not polite to attack people, y'know. Someone could get hurt," Nightwing added with another smirk. When he turned, however, he came face to face with the Red Hood. Well, figuratively speaking.

"What're you doing here?" he asked in a low tone. Nightwing was silent for a time, but he didn't get the chance to answer, because Hood was on his way out. Nightwing followed after him.

"I've been looking for you," he called. Hood snorted, but didn't turn to look at him. Once they were outside, they both grappled up to the roof, where Jason removed his hood.

"What do you want? Spit it out so I can go home," Jason snapped. Nightwing flinched at the anger in his voice, but he supposed-no he definitely-deserved it. He peeled off his mask, fidgeting with it a bit as he tried to find the right words.

"I'm sorry, Jason. I'm really, _really_ sorry. I didn't mean what I said."

"Yeah, well it's a little late to unring the bell," Jason snapped back. Dick sighed and raked a hand through his hair.

"Jaybird, I've been trying to call you, and text you all week! I felt so bad...with the way things left off...I-"

"So did I," Jason said softly, so softly Dick almost missed it. Their eyes locked and Dick could see that look again, that sad look he saw in the man's eyes that night, after he'd said that terrible thing to him.

"Well, you're sorry. Great. Apology accepted. Now get out of my territory," Jason growled, pulling his helmet back on. He shot a line across the way and swung off into the night without a second glance back.

Dick sighed deeply and pressed his mask back onto his face, staring off into the direction that Jason had gone. He should have known that a simple 'sorry' wouldn't be enough. He had been stupid. And yet, he was more resolved than ever to fix this.

Nightwing fired a line into the distance and swung off into the night. Even if he'd killed his chances of being with Jason, he still wanted to make this right. He still wanted Jason to know that he still loved him, that he _wasn't_ just an animal, or a murderer. He was Jason Peter Todd, his brother, his family, and he was important to Dick.

* * *

"Ow, would you be careful? That fuckin' hurts!" Jason snapped as Roy applied a bandage to a wound on Jason's left flank. Roy snorted, smoothing the bandage out and patting Jason on the back.

"Well, maybe you should take your own advice and _be careful,_ " Roy said with a smirk. Jason flipped him off and lit up a cigarette, taking a few puffs of it before reclining on the bed.

"Ran into Dick tonight," he said off handedly. Roy paused what he was doing and turned to look at the man over his shoulder.

"Oh? What happened?" Roy asked carefully. Jason snorted and put the cigarette out before tossing it in the trash.

"He says he's sorry," Jason said flatly. Roy grimaced and shook his head, moving back across the room to sit beside him.

"You still love him," Roy observed. Jason looked over at him with an annoyed glance, but gave a nod.

"Yeah, and it sucks," he said, heaving a sigh and falling back on the bed. He closed his eyes for a few moments, his thoughts trailing back to that night they'd slept together. That was definitely unexpected but not unwelcome. He'd only dreamed of having sex with Dick since he was a damn teenager! And then his thoughts went back to their conversation, just the night before things...went to hell.

He'd held out hope that maybe Dick wanted to be with him, but the _look_ in his eyes, the way he _spoke_ to him...it cut deep. He started holding back, tried to go back to non-lethal techniques, for Dick's sake.

"I thought I'd moved on," Jason suddenly said. He opened his eyes and looked at Roy.

"When I first came back to Gotham, I was dead set on killing both Bruce and the Joker," Jason explained, pushing himself into a sitting position. He looked down at his own hands and sighed, his tone low as he continued "I thought I was over him. That I didn't love him anymore. That I'd moved on. But when I first laid eyes on him..."

"It's hard...to let feelings like that go. I get it," Roy replied with a sad smile. Jason snorted in response.

"Yeah, okay Doctor Phil," he jibed playfully. Roy let out a bark of laughter and wrapped his arm around his friend's shoulders.

"Look, I'm just saying, it's not easy to get over feelings like that, y'know?" Jason glanced up his friend and flashed a smile.

"Speaking from experience?" he asked. Roy flinched a bit; the comment wasn't meant to be a jab, or insulting, but it stung a little besides. He frowned, but gave a nod.

"Yeah. Still in love with you Jaybird, bot gonna lie. It killed me a bit to set you and Dick up together." Jason sighed and hugged the man.

"Yeah, well, thanks. You're a good friend." He pulled away from Roy, then glared at him, eyes locked.

"You tell anyone about that, and I will kill you." Roy laughed in amusement, raising his hands defensively.

"My lips are sealed," Roy replied with a grin. Jason pushed himself off of the bed, then turned to Roy.

"And there's something else," Jason said. Roy flashed a quizzical look.

"I know you've been talking to Dick-"

"Jaybird, I-"

"You're being a bit overprotective of me, aren't you?" Jason asked amusedly. Roy got to his feet and crossed his arms over his chest.

"He hurt my best friend! You're damn right I am!" Jason let out a laughed, raking his hands through his hair. He patted Roy's arm and shook his head.

"I appreciate the thought, Roy, but I can take care of myself."

"Says the guy whose ass I just patched up," Roy retorted.

"Bite me."

"Fuck off."

"You first." And the two friends shared another laugh.


	2. Business As Usual

**Business as Usual**

Business as usual in Gotham City. Dick's transfer request was granted, and his first day on the GCPD went much as he expected. Three muggings, two assaults, an attempted robbery and a domestic dispute. Gotham and Bludhaven were so much alike, it was like he'd never gone anywhere. Hell, they were practically the same city.

In all honesty, the reason Dick came home was because he felt Bludhaven deserved better than him. He'd been thinking of coming back to Gotham for a while. Ever since Blockbuster died, he hadn't been at the top of his game, hadn't been able to give his all to Bludhaven. With that looming over his head, it was difficult. So here he was, back in Gotham. Home.

Dick had his hands full between his work as a police officer at the GCPD, being Nightwing at night, and finding time to work on his Criminal Justice Degree online. He'd applied for a promotion to become a detective, but so had some of his colleagues who happened to have degrees in Criminal Justice. Despite his own skills, he didn't have that and thus they had an advantage over him for the position. At least earning the degree would be relatively easy for him, considering who taught him.

Dick heaved a sigh and made for the locker room, changing back into his civilian attire. Though he was supposed to go out as Nightwing tonight, he opted to take the night off and rest. He had a lot on his plate already, without including the emotional baggage of his personal life. He still hadn't made things right wit Jason and that had been eating at him for a while now. Some rest and a night off from patrol would do him some good.

Dick heaved a sigh when he left the department and headed for home. His apartment was here in Midtown, just a few blocks away from the GCPD, so it was definitely within walking distance. When he got home, he locked the doors and flopped down on the couch, just in time for his phone to ring. He fished it out of his pocket and clicked talk. It was Tim.

"Hey Tim. No, no, it's fine. I can talk. What's up?" Dick answered. Tim was still a teenager and sometimes he just needed to vent. Like now. Apparently, Bruce was being an ass again and had been keeping him off patrol for no real reason. Well, maybe not an ass. More like, overprotective. But still kind of an ass.

"Sorry baby bird. All you can do is bear with it. I know he can be a pain, but-" Dick went on, interrupted by the sound of a window opening in his apartment. He sat up straight and looked around the room, prepared for a fight.

"I gotta call you back Timmy. Talk to you later," Dick said lowly, hanging up the phone. He pushed himself off of the couch and moved slowly toward the source of the sound.

"Whose there?" Dick called.

"Calm the fuck down, it's just me," came Jason's voice. Dick frowned and rounded the corner and into his bedroom to find that Jason, decked out in his Red Hood gear, had come through his bedroom window.

"Jason? What're you doing here?" Dick asked. Jason sighed and pulled off his helmet, running a hand through his hair.

"You could try saying 'hello', y'know," Jason said flatly, tucking his helmet underneath his arm. Dick didn't answer, so Jason slipped past him and flopped down on the couch. Dick frowned but didn't say a word, following him instead. Jason pulled a folder out of his jacket and tossed it to Dick and said "look, I wouldn't even be here if I had a choice. But I need your help."

Dick felt his heart clench a little at the words _I wouldn't even be here if I had a choice._ But he hid his reaction because he knew he deserved that. But this case might just be what he needed to try and make things right. So he sat down beside Jason and flipped the folder open.

"You want anything? Got beer in the fridge," Dick said smoothly, flipping through the files.

"I'm good, thanks," Jason answered, waving his hand dismissively. He leaned forward a bit, elbows on his knees and nodded toward the folder "someone's been smuggling drugs and illegal chemicals into the city through the Bowery. My Arkham Knights aren't exactly detectives, so there's only so much they can do. They've stemmed the tide a bit, but somehow, this shit's getting in."

Dick glanced over at Jason, then back to the folder.

"And this is?" Dick asked.

"What little I've been able to figure out. I suspect Black Mask's involvement though. Son of a bitch got out of prison. Gotham Justice System everyone," Jason said flatly. Dick couldn't help a smirk tugging at his lips; it was serious, but the way Jason spoke, making light of the situation...well, he missed it.

"Why didn't you ask Bruce for help? Why come to me?" Dick asked. Jason heaved another sigh and settled back into the couch, hand raking through his hair.

"Because between you and him, you're less of an asshole. Besides, Bruce can be kind of a sanctimonious prick. He'd try to lecture me, and I'm not in the mood for that crap," Jason answered. Dick snorted with held back laughter. Typical Jason, no filter on his mouth.

"Alright, I'll look into it," Dick replied, flashing Jason a smile. Jason pushed himself up off the couch and wordlessly made for the window, putting his helmet back on.

"Jaybird-" Dick called after him. Jason made a dismissive hand wave, already halfway out the window when he looked back.

"Yeah, yeah. You're sorry. I got the memo. Good night," he replied, vanishing into the night. Dick sighed as he watched Jason go. It looked like he'd be going out as Nightwing tonight after all.

* * *

Iceberg lounge, Penguins deb facto 'base of operations'. Penguin was lounging in his personal booth, surrounded by beautiful women, puffing on a cigar and drinking wine, as per usual. Nightwing was here for information, having brought with him a bottle of rxpensive wine. A little something to get in Penguin's good side.

"Penguin," Nightwing said smoothly. Penguin sipped his wine, eyes locked on Nightwing for a few moments.

"Nightwing. To what do I owe this most annoying visit?" Penguin said in an even tone. Nightwing smirked and tossed the man the bottle of wine. Penguin caught it and made an interested sound.

"Well, well, well. This a rare and valuable vintage. But I'm guessing you're not here just to give gifts. You want information. Everybody does," Penguin said with a sly grin, lighting up another cigar.

"You got me pegged, Penguin. I'm looking for information about a smuggler in the Bowery," Nightwing answered. Penguin chuckled in amusement.

"Ah yes, the Arkham Knights' territory. Or at least they think it is," Penguin replied. Nightwing quirked an eyebrow.

"What'd you mean, 'they think is is'?" he asked. Penguin glanced up at him, blowing a smoke ring in his direction. Nightwing snorted, waving it away.

"They've got a tight grip on the place, but even my own operations go unhindered there. Information is power, as they say." Another pause as he raised his hand, signaling one of his women to pour him a glass of wine. Glass in hand, he took a sip, then deigned to grant his attention to Nightwing again.

"Black Mask is behind the smuggling operations. He knows the Bowery like the back of his hand, so it's hardly surprising that shipments are slipping through the Arkham Knight's fingers," Penguin finally answered. Nightwing frowned at the information, which proved that Jason was right. But it couldn't be that easy.

"Black Mask is funding Scarecrow's new fear toxin. In exchange, Scarecrow will use it to sow chaos in Gotham, giving Black Mask a window of opportunity to worm his way back to the top."

"Why tell me all this so freely?" Nightwing asked. Penguin grimaced and slammed his fist down on the table.

"Because Black Mask is a lunatic! So power hungry and greedy, he'll burn Gotham to get what he wants. This little deal with Scarecrow is proof enough. And besides that," Penguin growled, handing his glass off to one of the women "he's threatening my own...interests. I want him dealt with."

Nightwing gave a nod in reply. Now it all made sense; Penguin did not appreciate it when people fucked up his deals, messed with his business and generally did anything to hamper his own operations. A favor for a favor. It was unsaid, but if he dealt with Black Mask, Penguin would owe him a favor.

"Thanks for the intel," Nightwing said smoothly, waving his hand as he took his leave. Before he could get far, Penguin called after him.

"Oh and about that business in Bludhaven," Penguin called after him. Nightwing turned, a grimace on his face as the man gave a slight laugh "my apologies. Nothing personal, just good business." Nightwing gave a derisive smirk before going on his way.

* * *

Dick sat at his kitchen table, eating breakfast, which was simply cereal and milk with a cup of coffee. He'd sent a text to Jason last night about the case, he just hoped that the man had looked at it. Sure enough, he heard his bedroom window open and close, then The Red Hood sauntered into his kitchen moments later.

"Got something for me, Dickie?" he asked, pulling off the helmet. Dick looked up at Jason and flashed a smile, gesturing toward the empty chair across from him.

"Yeah," he replied simply. Jason pulled off his helmet and flopped down into the chair.

"Well?" he asked impatiently.

"Y'know, you could've knocked on my front door, like normal people do," Dick said in an amused tone. Jason snorted as Dick tossed him the box of cereal.

"I'm not 'normal' Dickie. Normal people don't come back from the dead."

"Point," Dick answered, rolling his eyes as he watched Jason dig into the box with his bare hands and eat some cereal straight from the box. Dick finished his breakfast, then sipped his coffee as he got up from the table to clean his bowl.

"So you gonna tell me, or what?" Jason asked, irritated. Dick gave a sigh and turned to speak, but Jason interrupted.

"If you were hoping for a nice, friendly breakfast, bonding over some stupid bullshit, you got your hopes up," Jason said sourly. Dick felt like he'd been punched in the gut. That wasn't exactly what he'd had in mind, but he _had_ hoped they could just talk a little bit.

"Look, Jaybird-"

"Just tell me what you found already," Jason growled, giving an exasperted sigh. Dick scrubbed his face with his hands then sat back down at the table.

"I did some digging, paid a visit to Penguin-"

"Pfft, that pudgy fuck is lucky I don't boot his ass off a skyscraper," Jason growled, to which Dick snorted to hold back his laughter. Jason smirked at Dick.

"Someone's got a dark sense of humor," he teased. Dick straight up, trying to get all serious again. He took a deep breath and continued.

"Anyway, according to Penguin, you were right about Black Mask-"

"I fuckin' knew it!' Jason said triumphantly, hitting the table before pushing himself up to his feet.

"But there's more," Dick interrupted. Jason turned to him again, slowly sinking back down into the chair.

"Okay, well, what is it?"

"Scarecrow," Dick answered. Jason scowled and shook his head.

"And what does that creepy son of a bitch have to do with this?"

"Black Mask is funding his new fear toxin, and in return Scarecrow will sow a little chaos, giving Black Mask the opportunity to claim back some of his power," Dick answered. Jason frowned, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Shoulda fuckin' shot him," Jason muttered. Dick chose not to comment on that. The last time he did...well...it didn't end well. After a few moments of silence Jason pushed himself back up from the table and headed for the window. He stopped and turned, looking Dick in the eye.

"Honestly Dickie, I almost asked Roy to come on my behalf. But I'm a big boy. I can handle my own shit," Jason admitted. Dick felt a small spark of hope in Jason's comment, but before he could stop himself, he just _had_ to press Jason's Bruce button.

"What about Bruce?" he asked, hitting himself mentally for it. Jason snorted and waved his hand dismissively.

"Bruce is an entirely different story. I probably would've fuckin' punched him. You at least, I have no desire to hit," Jason snorted. He stopped right in front of the window and glanced back over his shoulder.

"Okay, maybe a little bit," he replied with a smirk. Dick watched the man go and couldn't help the smile tugging at his own lips. Jason Todd, everyone. The man without a filter. And part of the reason Dick was so in love with him. The man spoke his mind, unafraid of the consequences.

"I love you, Jaybird," Dick said to himself, still staring at the window through which Jason retreated.


	3. Talk To Me

**Talk To Me**

Jason growled, plugging away at his laptop as he continued his investigation, trying to find out how the drugs and chemicals were getting in. Finding out who was involved and why was only half of it. The other half was figured out where it was getting in.

He'd been sitting on his bed with his laptop for the last three hours, working the case. He'd be the first to admit that detective work wasn't his forte, but he figured he was still pretty damn good at it. And yet he couldn't figure out how some of the shipments were slipping through the cracks.

"C'mon Jaybird, we're going out!" Roy called cheerily, pulling on his jacket and grabbing his keys off the wall. Jason looked up at Roy and quirked an eyebrow.

"We are?"

"Yes, you need a break! It's not like you to spend hours doing research. So we're going out for a drink. You need a break," Roy answered. Jason stared back at the computer screen for a few moments and huffed in annoyance, closing it shut. He shuffled across the room and grabbed a shirt and his jacket, following Roy out of the apartment.

"Sure, I could use a drink. As long as you're buying," Jason replied, flashing a grin. Roy chuckled in amusement, wrapping an arm around Jason's shoulders.

"That was the idea!" Roy replied just as cheerily. The drive through Gotham was short and they arrived at some little hole in the wall, the perfect place to get drunk, where no one who knew you would think to look. Indeed, the place looked a little worse for wear, but it looked fairly busy for a 'hole in the wall'.

"Didn't think you'd care for a fancy place," Roy said with a shrug and a grin. Jason chuckled in amusement and followed the man to the bar.

"I like the way you think, Harper," Jason answered.

"Two beers," Roy called, gesturing to the bartender. The two of them sat at the bar, making themselves comfortable as the bartender slid two, cold beers down the bar to them. Jason and Roy wordlessly took their glasses, clinking them together before chugging them halfway.

"Sure you can handle your alcohol, Todd?" Roy asked with a grin. Jason snorted, chugging the rest of it down.

"I can drink you under the table, Harper," Jason replied. Roy was about to chug the rest of his own beer, when Jason snagged it from him.

"Uh uh uh. One of us needs to be sober enough to drive. I'll embarrass you next time," Jason replied with a grin, chugging the rest of Roy's beer. Roy huffed both in annoyance and amusement.

"Jerk."

"Bitch."

Three drinks later, and a few non-alcoholic beverages for Roy, Jason still seemed mostly lucid. They just talked about whatever topic came up, be that their pasts, sports, girls, guys. But Roy had another reason for bringing Jason out here with him.

"Jaybird, what's wrong?" Roy asked. Jason frowned, downing his fourth beer.

"What do you mean?" Jason asked, quirking an eyebrow. Roy frowned, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You haven't really been...well, you lately. C'mon, talk to me," Roy said in a concerned tone. Jason heaved a sigh as the bartender slid down a fifth. Jason stared into the glass, contemplating Roy's words. When he didn't answer, Roy heaved a sigh, raking a hand through his hair.

"Look, Jaybird, you use to talk to me about _everything._ I'm here for you, just tell me what's up." Jason heaved another sigh, downing a fifth and signaling for an end to it.

"Yeah. I still can't get over the way Dick looked at me that night. The way he...talked to me," Jason said in a low tone, staring wistfully down at the bar. Jason, since he first met Dick, had had strong feelings for him. Back when he was still a young, dumb teenager, he didn't know what those feelings meant. But as he got older, he came to realize that he was _in love_ with the man he came to know as a brother.

Dick was his idol, his hero, his big brother. Whenever Dick said he was proud of him, or took time out of his day for him, he was always so happy. So to have him, someone he'd come to love so deeply, look at him and talk to him like _that..._ it didn't just sting. It burnt. Bad.

And even when he was running around Gotham with the full might of his Arkham Knights behind him, putting down thugs, killing criminals left and right, and trying to kill Bruce and the Joker, Dick would still just _smile_ at him, and promise that he'd _save him._ Jason never got the chance to tell him that he had. Dick _had_ saved him.

So the question then became, what changed? Why did that smile fade, replaced with that angry, disgusted look, those terrible words...?

And Roy just watched Jason, his heart aching because he had no idea what to say or do to help him. He heaved a sigh and patted Jason's back soothingly.

"Listen, Jaybird. This thing between you and Dick, you'll work it out," Roy said softly. Jason glanced up at Roy and flashed a small smile. But it wouldn't last, because Roy was about to tell him something he knew he wouldn't want to hear.

"And listen, dude, you gotta talk to Bruce," Roy said. Jason rolled his eyes and began to push away from the bar, but Roy held him in place, wrapping an arm around his waist.

" _Listen,"_ Roy insisted when Jason started to squirm in his arms. Jason huffed in annoyance but sat still, looking at Roy, waiting for him to speak. Roy sighed deeply and looked Jason dead in the eye.

"You said you were ready to move on from your past. Your tattoo, break the chains that bind you? Well, you'll never move on until you talk to Bruce. Get closure. Trust me, I know," Roy said smoothly. Jason glared at him, mostly because he knew Roy was right, and he didn't like it.

"Yeah, and what about you and Ollie?" Jason asked. Roy flinched at the man's tone, then gave a smirk, shrugging his shoulders.

"I tried. But the man can be an insufferable douche bag. Bruce, on the other hand, is at least reasonable," Roy said smoothly, he headed for the exit, gesturing for Jason to follow, tossing some money on the bar as he left. Jason followed behind him, staggering just a little bit from all the beer.

"Reasonable might be pushing it though," Roy aid once they were outside, out of earshot of anyone. He turned to Jason, walking backwards to his car and went on "you tried to kill him several times, and you were executing criminals the whole time, and yet the man _still_ tried to reach out to you, still believed you were worth saving."

Jason huffed again, scrubbing his face with his hands. Once again, Harper was right. And once again, he hated to admit it. Bruce was probably still willing to forgive him, to help him move on and accept him back into the family. It took this chat with Roy to realize it, but he had been a real jackass. Though he still believed he had a right to be pissed about his death going unavenged, he realized what an ass he'd been. He had a family who was still trying to help him, and he just ignored them.

"You're right," Jason muttered, jamming his hands into his pockets. Roy grinned slyly, patting Jason's back before wrapping an arm around him and leading him back to the car.

"Of course I am."

"Don't let it go to your head, Harper."

"Just talk to him soon, okay?"

"What are you, my therapist?" Jason snapped, both annoyed and playful as he slid into the passenger's seat. Roy let out a bark of laughter as he started the car, driving off back for their apartment. He glanced over at Jason and shook his head.

"Oh god no! But Jaybird, you're so fucked up, I could make a fortune off your ass," Roy said teasingly Jason shot him a glare, devoid of anger.

"Well gee, thanks. That makes me feel so much better," he replied, his tone light and playful. Roy grinned at him and gave his arm a friendly jab.

"Of course, that's what friends are for."

"Asshole."

"Fuckface." Roy and Jason exchanged glances and grins before they finally pulled up to their apartment building. They got out of the car and Roy wrapped an arm around Jason's waist to help him up the stairs. The alcohol seemed to make climbing stairs a bit difficult, to which Roy could not help but make a jab about, earning a 'fuck you' for his efforts.

Roy fumbled for the keys to the apartment before finally working his way inside, dropping Jason on the couch. Jason hit the couch with an 'oomph' sound, and heaved a heavy sigh.

"Damn Roy. You always find a way to turn everything into a therapy session," Jason muttered. Roy gave a laugh as he retreated into the bedroom, returning in naught but a pair of red dorm pants.

"Hey, you're my best friend and you've clearly been dealing with shit lately. Best friends don't let their friends deal with bullshit alone," Roy aid matter-of-factly. Jason chuckled a bit, arm draped over his eyes.

"Shit, dude, we should just get married and call it a day," Jason said. Roy snorted, followed by a laugh as he moved across the living room and pulled Jason's ass up off the couch.

"Sure, you buy the rings Jaybird and I'll happily marry your ass."

"You like my ass."

"Won't argue with that. Now c'mon, let's get you in bed," Roy said. He paused, then frowned and glanced over at Jason who was grinning at him.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Todd," Roy said, rolling his eyes. Jason snorted and shoved Roy down onto the bed, falling on top of him and pressing his lips against Roy's.

"Maybe I don't want to," Jason purred. Roy grinned up at him, then pushed the man off of him.

"You're drunk, Jaybird. I don't sleep with drunks."

"Buzz kill," Jason replied, groaning as he kicked off his boots, peeled off his jacket, and rolled over on his side, finding sleep minutes later. Roy flopped down on his own bed, staring up at the roof. He heard the soft sounds of snoring from Jason and glanced over at him.

"G'night Jaybird," he called before rolling over and closing his eyes.

* * *

Nightwing was out on patrol in the Bowery and had already passed by some Arkham Knight patrols. They didn't seem perturbed by his presence, which likely meant that Jason had given him the okay amongst his men.

After what he'd found out about Scarecrow and Black Mask, there was no way he could let this go, let Jason take care of it by himself. Even to this day, despite Jason being a full grown man, he still felt a bit protective over him.

Currently, Nightwing was finishing up his patrol, the docks having been quiet tonight, when he heard a laugh; Roy Harper's laugh. Curiosity got the best of him and what he saw made his heart ache.

Roy and Jason looked so happy together. They weren't together, that wasn't what bothered him. What bothered him, was how close Roy was to Jason. He envied him, envied that closeness. Roy was closer to Jason than he thought he'd ever be, and honestly? It made him jealous, and that jealousy hurt.

Nightwing frowned was he wanted their car disappear down the road. Upon further inspection of his own feelings, he actually found that he was glad. Glad that someone who understood him, who could be there for him, was standing by Jason's side, taking care of him. Even if that couldn't be him.

He knew what Barbara would say; "Just go talk to him, you moron!" But he couldn't. Not tonight. No, but he made a promise to himself that night that he would talk to him soon. They would talk, they would clear things up..and if Jason wanted to move on...he'd let him.


	4. A Touch of Fear

**A Touch of Fear**

"Aw c'mon Jaybird! It's just a couple of bruised ribs!" Roy complained, laying in his bed. Jason snorted as he geared up, pulling on his jacket and grabbing his guns. He loaded each of them up with non-lethal electric ammo, holstering them both before grabbing a utility belt and strapping it around his waist.

"I don't care, Roy. You're not going out on patrol! You were kicked off a fucking building! You're lucky to be alive, dumb ass," Jason retorted. Roy huffed in annoyance, crossing his arms over his chest.

"As I recall, _you_ were in worse shape back in Star City a few months ago, remember?" Roy replied, quirking an eyebrow at him. Jason snorted again and turned to look at Roy.

"Yeah, and last time I checked, your dumb ass hasn't been thrown into a Lazarus Pit recently, and therefore, you don't have accelerated healing," Jason answered nonchalantly. He heaved a sigh and put on his helmet.

"It's just one night. You can handle one night off patrol," Jason added, heading out through the window. Roy huffed as he watched the man go, but resigned himself to his fate. Well, mostly. He wasn't going to stay in bed, at any rate. However, as if reading his mind, Chloe came running into the room, tail wagging and jumped up on the bed, laying right across his stomach.

"Ah crap! C'mon Chloe, up!" he ordered. Chloe just looked at him, tail still wagging before she laid her head back down, ignoring said order. Roy groaned and let his head fall back on his pillow.

"You are such a brat."

* * *

The Red Hood made his way down toward the docks, having managed to dig up old blueprints of the city from over one-hundred years ago. It took quite a while to find them, and a lot of research, but he'd found an old abandoned sewer system that emptied out into the bay that hadn't been used in over one-hundred years. He deduced that _that_ was how Black Mask and Scarecrow were smuggling drugs and chemicals into the city.

According to his intel, Black Mask had only scraped together a fraction of his former power, but it was enough to assemble a gang fit to challenge his Arkham Knights hold on the Bowery. Well, Hood was going to change that, as soon as he dealt with Scarecrow. On his way to the docks, he glanced up at the sky, and sure enough, the Bat symbol shown brightly.

"Great. Just what I need," he muttered to himself. Hopefully, they needed him for something else, because he wasn't in the mood to deal with Batman. At least, not yet. On the bright side, he'd not seen any trace of Nightwing, so that was a bonus.

When The Red Hood got down to the docks, a small contingent of his Knights met up with him. Over the course of the last week, some of his men, who'd fled Gotham, returned upon hearing word of his own reappearance in the city. They weren't as strong as they once were, but more than strong enough now to hold onto the Bowery.

"Sir, we spotted Scarecrow entering the old sewer system you had us keep an eye on. We intended to pursue-" one of the men began, but Hood held up a hand, stopping him and interrupted.

"It's better that you didn't. Scarecrow is particularly dangerous and you have no experience dealing with his...unique threat. I've got him," Hood said evenly. The men exchanged glances before turning back to their boss.

"Another shipment it on its way in. We were preparing to take it down. We've got men posted outside every entrance to the old sewer system as we could find. They won't be smuggling _anything_ in this time," another of his men said with confidence. Hood snorted and waved his hand dismissively.

"That doesn't matter. I want a small team to shadow them. Let some of that shit in, follow it, find out where it leads. Then destroy it and report back to me. We find Black Mask, and we take him out. Permanently this time," Hood said darkly.

"Yes sir," they replied before moving on the docks. Hood turned his attention on the sewer entrance, then made his way there. It was a bit risky, since Scarecrow could be anywhere, but it was worth the risk to stop him from spreading this new fear toxin.

Unfortunately, the Red Hood didn't get far before he received a message via comm link from one of his men.

"Sir, orders sir! It's chaos here! People are panicking, attacking each other, civilians, thugs, everyone!" one of his men called over the link. Hood frowned but continued through the sewers, determined to find Scarecrow.

"Shit! Sounds like Scarecrow's already gotten some of that shit out into the public. Any news from beyond the Bowery?"

"No sir. We-" he heard the sounds of combat, people screaming, before the man's voice returned "we've got no word from beyond our territory. It seems isolated!"

"It's a field test! Scarecrow is using the Bowery as a fucking testing ground. Switch to non-lethal combat! Disable the victims! I repeat, do not kill. And if you see Scarecrow-" Hood paused, gritting his teeth. He didn't like the idea, but what other recourse did he really have? The Bowery alone was huge and he'd need help.

"Sir?"

"If you see Scarecrow, alert Oracle. She'll get in touch with Batman and Nightwing," Hood muttered.

"Understood sir," the man replied before cutting the link. Hood searched the sewers for a good ten minutes, finding nothing.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't The Red Hood," Scarecrow's voice echoed through the sewer. Hood drew his guns, prepared for a fight. He looked around, moving carefully, unable to determine where the voice came from.

"Brilliant deduction, Sherlock. Now if you only had a brain," Hood replied darkly. Scarecrow gave a dark laugh, followed by a 'tsk'.

"I would so very much love to examine your fears, but alas, I've business to attend to. Maybe another time."

"I'm feeling a little impatient! It's been so long since we've had a play date. Why don't we have one now?"

"Patience," Scarecrow called, followed by a cackling laugh. It sounded close by, so Hood raced around the corner but he didn't find Scarecrow. He found a two-way radio instead.

"Son of a bitch!" He cursed, shooting the thing and destroying it.

"Red Hood, it's Oracle" came Barbara's voice. He snorted in reply, hardly surprised to hear her over his comm channel. Despite that, he had to ask anyway.

"Oracle. How'd you get this channel?"

"I'm me," she replied easily. Hood chuckled in amusement, practically seeing the smirk on her face.

"So I'm assuming you've already heard?"

"Of course. I've alerted Batman and Robin. Nightwing is on his way too," Oracle replied. Another snort, but he didn't comment.

"Jason, you're not alone. You don't have to do this all by yourself," she said softly. Jason was silent as he moved through the tunnels and back out into the city. He knew that, but his pride wouldn't let him ask for help. He was sure Barbara knew that too.

"Listen, I-" Jason began, but Barbara cut him off.

"Shit, Jay, you need to get back to your apartment, now! All hell is breaking loose there too!" Oracle called. Jason swore under his breath and raced back to where he'd stashed his motorcycle hopping on it and racing down the street toward his apartment building.

The building came into sight minutes later, the Arkham Knights subduing the last of fear toxin-addled civilians. Hood snuck down an alley and slipped up the side of the building, sticking to the shadows. He snuck inside through the window to their apartment, pausing in shock at what he saw. The place was a mess, and there was no sign of Roy of Chloe.

"Roy?!" Jason called, tossing his helmet aside. He found a blood trail and his heart skipped a beat.

"In here, Jaybird!" Roy called from the bathroom. Jason rushed to the bathroom to find Roy stitching up his own side. Roy flinched a bit as he finished, cleaning up the wound.

"Shit, you alright? What happened?" Jason asked. Roy grunted in pain as he turned around to face Jason.

"Some people came bursting into the room, screaming about some random shit. Caught me off guard and I got this," Roy said with a grimace, gesturing to the wound on his side. He turned on the water and splashed his face a bit before leaning against the sink.

"Nightwing showed up in the nick of time, but, uh," Roy said with a concerned look.

"But what? Where's Chloe?" Jason asked. Roy flashed a saddened look.

"She uh...protected me...she..."

* * *

Jason's bike squealed to a stop in front of the Bowery's free veteran clinic and he made his way inside, pounding on the door. The door flew open and Linda answered.

"Ah, we were expecting you," she said, gesturing for him to come inside. Jason followed after her and she led him to where they were keeping Chloe. Jason rushed to her side; she'd been shot. But one look at Jason and her tail started to wag a little.

"Chloe," he muttered, patting her head.

"She'll be okay, we've stabilized her and removed the bullet. We were just cleaning it. She'll be a bit weak for a while. Lost a lot of blood," came Adam's voice. Jason turned to see him returning with some supplies. He patted Jason's back and flashed a smile.

"We're going to keep her here for a few days though, keep an eye on her," he added. Jason gave a nod in reply and Adam gestured across the hall and said "you might wanna go thank the hero. He's still here, wanted to make sure she was okay." Jason frowned and gave another nod, moving across the hallway to find Nightwing.

"Hey," Nightwing called. Jason glanced down to see that the lower half of his torso was all bandaged up. Jason growled and grabbed him by his arm and dragged him out o the room, ignoring his startled cry. Jason dragged him up to the roof and then shoved him away.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!' Jason snapped. Dick pulled off the mask and flashed a shocked look.

"I...uh..."

"You're a fucking moron! Yeah, thanks for saving Chloe, but you could have bled out before you got here you fucking idiot!" Jason shouted angrily. Dick frowned and shrugged his shoulders.

"I...I'm sorry?" Dick offered, not entirely sure what exactly he did wrong. Jason growled and stormed toward Dick, grabbing him by the front of his suit.

"You're sorry?! You could have died, Dick!" Jason hissed. Dick frowned and carefully pried Jason's hands off of him.

"Look, it was a risk, I know, but-"

"But nothing, Dick! Losing Chloe would have sucked ass, but...losing you...I" Jason paused, a gentle blush blossoming on his face. Dick's expression softened a bit as he began to understand. He sighed and raked a hand through his hair.

"Look, Jason...I didn't want to see you hurt. You or Roy, or even Chloe. You guys are so happy, and-" Dick began, but he was cut off when Jason grabbed him again and pressed his lips to Dick's. Dick was shocked, to say the least. He hadn't been expecting that, but he didn't fight it either. The kiss only lasted a few seconds before Jason pushed him away.

"You're a fucking idiot," he snapped before disappearing back inside. Dick stood there, stunned and still trying to figure out exactly what just happened, even as he heard the roar of Jason's motorcycle. Dick moved to the edge of the building and watched him go. He smiled and pressed his mask back onto his face and dived off the building, disappearing into the night.

"Dick Grayson, get your _ass_ back home! You're wounded!" Oracle scolded over the link.

"It's nothing," he lied.

"Bullshit. I'll tell Alfred," she threatened. Dick flinched at the threat and heaved a sigh.

"Okay, fine, fine. I'm going home. No need to tell Alf."

"Good!"


	5. Moving On

**Moving On**

Wayne Manor. Jason didn't really want to be here, but Roy had been pestering him for the last few days about coming here and patching things up. Roy could be seriously annoying when he really wanted to be. He was currently back at the apartment with Chloe who, thankfully, was doing well, but back to hobbling around again. But at least she was alive. The first thing she did when she got home, was to sit in front of Roy with her tail wagging, waiting for a pet.

Jason heaved a sigh and gave the door bell a ring. Several moments passed in which time Jason ran several different scenarios through his head about what could go wrong, because he was almost certain things would go wrong, and every scenario ended in him punching Bruce in the face and storming out of the cave. To be fair, Bruce was really good at pissing him off. He wasn't really expecting this time to be any different.

When the door finally opened, it was Alfred, a smile creeping across his face.

"Master Jason, it's good to see you," he said. Jason smiled and hugged the man. Alfred hugged him back and led him inside.

"I assume you're here to see Master Bruce?" Alfred asked. Jason growled a bit and nodded.

"Yeah, unfortunately," he muttered. Alfred flashed the man a sad smile and stopped him, hand on his shoulder. Jason came to a stop and looked over at Alfred.

"Master Jason, regardless of what you believe, believe me when I tell you...we all mourned you, and we all loved you. Master Bruce included," Alfred said. Jason took a deep breath and jammed his hands into his jacket pockets. Alfred glanced toward the grandfather clock which led to the batcave, then back to Jason and continued "you're not alone, Master Jason." Alfred hugged him again and Jason could _feel_ the truth in his words.

Alfred smiled at him and continued on toward the batcave. Jason stood in place, in silence for a few moments longer...thinking...about how damn lucky he was. Alfred would have had every right to hate him for everything he'd done, including trying to kill Bruce, and yet here he was, getting warm smiles and welcoming hugs. This wasn't the first time he'd thought about that, and probably wouldn't be the last. Heaving a sigh, he followed Alfred, down into the batcave.

Bruce was at work at the computer, as per usual.

"Master Bruce. You have a visitor," Alfred said evenly. Bruce turned in his chair and was unsurprised to see Jason. Jason was unsurprised that Bruce was unsurprised, frankly. Alfred turned and began to leave the cave.

"I shall leave you two alone to talk. Please try not to kill each other," he called back casually. Jason smirked, chuckled a bit under his breath as he watched the man go. Jason turned back to Bruce and cleared his throat, not really sure where to start.

"Bruce."

"Jason."

A silence settled between the two of them as they just watched each other. Bruce was the one to finally break the silence.

"Why are you here, Jason?" he asked in an even tone. Jason frowned, followed by a derisive snort.

"Well, hello to you too, Bruce," Jason muttered. Bruce looked up at him again, his face a blank slate, betraying no emotion as he waited for a real response. Jason sighed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm here to...move on. To talk. I guess. I don't know," he muttered, shrugging his shoulders. Bruce got to his feet and moved toward Jason, stopping just a few feet away. Jason watched him carefully.

"I understand...why you were angry, Jason," Bruce said softly, eyes still glued to the floor. Jason just watched him, beating down a derisive comment. He wouldn't get anywhere just throwing insults. Neither of them would get anywhere that way.

"Your whole life, you've only known pain and betrayal. When I took you in and gave you a family, I couldn't give you what you really needed," Bruce went on, finally looking up at Jason. Jason flinched at the sincerity he saw in the man's eyes when he finished "a mother." Again, Jason felt the urge to make a comment, a jab, something that'd hurt, but he didn't. He waited.

"When you died...there was this dark part of me that wanted to kill the Joker," Bruce murmured, turning his back. He moved toward the computer and looked up at the screen as a picture of a young Jason, and the Joker popped up. He heaved a sigh and went on "god I wanted to kill him. To even the score. To avenge you. But I didn't." He looked up at the screen, at little Jason and the Joker. He looked back at Jason whose eyes were glue to the Joker, eyes which held a mix of anger and fear. He closed the pictures down and said "I tortured myself for months, years, with those pictures. To remind myself who I failed, and who had taken you from me. From us."

"Yeah, well...he's fuckin' dead now," Jason finally said, shooting Bruce a glare. Bruce gave a nod.

"Yes he is. You killed him-"

"Are we really going to fucking start this again?!" Jason growled angrily. Was Bruce _really_ about to fucking _lecture him?!_ About avenging his own death no less?!

"No," Bruce answered, shaking his head. He moved toward Jason, placing a hand upon his shoulder "no, Jason. I don't condone the lives you've taken. And believe me when I say I shed no tears for the Joker." Jason snorted again, rolling his eyes, because _here we go again._

"Don't lecture me, Bruce! I don't regret, for a second, all the rapists and murders I killed! Animals who would have gotten out of prison and continued raping and murdering! Or have you forgotten what happened to me?!" Jason shouted, arm slashing through the air angrily as he shoved Bruce away from him.

"No, Jason! I never have!" Bruce shouted back, taking a step forward. He shook his head and said to him "I could _never_ forget, Jason. No child should _ever_ have to endure that."

"And now they wont," Jason snapped. Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose and heaved a frustrated sigh. Jason was equally frustrated and let it show by glaring at Bruce, arms crossed over his chest, fists clenched tightly, resisting the urge to just slug him and leave.

"We've all made mistakes, Jason," Bruce finally said after a brief silence. Jason didn't argue with that. He couldn't really argue with that, though he would very much like to.

"I'm sorry, Jason. For everything. I failed you, maybe I still am, but all we can do now is-"

"Move forward," Jason said softly, staring down at the ground. The two of them looked up, eyes meeting.

"We've both got shit to be sorry about, I guess," Jason muttered, crossing his arms again. Anger at Bruce still coursed through him, but he found he wasn't as angry as he once was. Jason sighed and moved past Bruce, toward the computer. Bruce turned, eyes following him, watching him closely. Jason pulled up the case files on Scarecrow and Black Mask.

"Your Arkham Knights have made it difficult to investigate," Bruce said smoothly, mildly annoyed. Jason grinned and glanced back at the man over his shoulder before turning his attention back to the computer.

"Yeah, well. That was the idea," Jason replied. Bruce was about to speak, but Jason interrupted "but I suppose I can get them to lay off." He turned to Bruce and frowned, adding "because I...could probably use the help." Bruce managed a small smile and gave a nod in reply.

* * *

Dick knocked on the door to Barbara's apartment. She'd called him over, but he wasn't sure what for. Though if he had to venture a guess, it was probably Jason related. The door swung open moments later and Barbara flashed him a smile.

"Dick, hey! Come on in!" she said cheerily as he leaned down to hug her. He followed her inside and into the living room. Dick took a seat on the couch and Barbara stopped beside him.

"Dick-"

"Is this about Jason again?" Dick asked softly, a slightly sad expression on his face. Barbara gave him a smile and shook her head.

"No, Dick. This is about you."

"About me?" Dick asked, quirking an eyebrow. Barbara nodded.

"You're not going to like what I have to say, but shut up and listen before you bark at me," she said evenly. Dick swallowed, not liking the sound of that, but gave her a curt nod. Barbara cleared her throat, then looked Dick in the eye.

"I think...you're still carrying what happened with Blockbuster on your shoulders." Dick went to protest, but she held up a hand to silence him "and I also think...or rather, when you were yelling at Jason, I don't think you were yelling at Jason." Dick quirked an eyebrow, thoroughly confused.

"Barabara, I don't understand-"

"I think you were yelling at Tarantula," she interrupted. Dick frowned and attempted to leave, but Barbara grabbed his arm and forced him to sit back down.

"I'm not finished yet," she said sternly. Dick pursed his lips and let her continue.

"Dick, whether you want to believe it or not, you have a tendency to lash out at the people closest to you. Including Jason," she said, licking her lips. Dick bit down a reply, because what he wanted to say, he realized would prove her right.

"I get it, and Jason was wrong, but so were you." Dick wanted to protest, but she gave him a glare that told him to shut up. When he didn't speak she continued "Dick, Jason was protecting you. Because he loves you. Now, you might not agree, but not everyone shares your strict moral code."

"Barbara, how can you even say that? Killing is-"

"Wrong, yes. But there are lots of ways to help people. By saving them, or sometimes, taking out bad people-"

"But-"

"Dick. You see black and white, but you need to face the facts that the world isn't that simple. There is gray, and Jason is clear proof of that," she interrupted again, but this time her tone and her expression were not angry, but instead, understanding.

"Barbara-"

"No, listen Dick. You want Jason to change, but it's not fair for him to have to, when you wont."

"What do you mean?" he asked in an annoyed tone. Barbara sighed and patted his arm.

"Dick, you _have_ to stop being so...preachy. You need to stop forcing your views on other people. Consider the way Jason grew up. You had a family that loved you, a happy childhood. Jason has never had that. His entire childhood was nothing but pain and betrayal," Barbara explained. Dick couldn't argue with that. And he began to understand what she was saying. Their radically different lives led to radically different moral codes.

"There's no such thing as a perfect girl, or a perfect boy. But Jason...you _love_ him, and the reason I'm being so...annoying about this, so pushy is because I see the potential for a _real_ love between you two. A romantic love, like what we used to have between us."

"It's still there, Babs," Dick said softly, flashing a smile. Barbara smiled in return but shook her head.

"Maybe, but you love Jason more. Listen to me, Dick. If you want Jason to change you have to change too. Don't miss your chance, Dick. Don't let Jason get away."

Dick's eyes fell to the floor as he contemplated her words. And the truth in them, because she was right and he knew it, even if he didn't want to admit it. Dick sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Barbara patted his back soothingly and Dick finally looked at her.

"I...thanks, Barbara. I...I understand. And I'll...try," Dick said softly. Barbara nodded.

"Good. Change doesn't come over night. At the very least, you should try and be more understanding." Dick nodded again.

"Yeah. I guess that's why Jay and Roy are so...close...they understand each other," Dick said softly. Barbara gave another nod.

"I'm glad I could help. Now, go and get him," Barbara urged, pushing him off the couch and toward the door. Dick chuckled in amusement and glanced over his shoulder at Barbara.

"Trying to get rid of me?" he joked. Barbara laughed and pushed him out the door.

"Trying to get two idiots to stop being idiots." Dick laughed in amusement and leaned down to hug her again.

"Well, I'll probably always be an idiot. Sorry to disappoint." Barbara smiled and hugged him back.

"Probably, but I'm sure I'll manage. Goodbye Dick," she said, closing the door. Dick stood there in silence for a few moments before a smile crept onto his face. He turned and left, next stop; Jason's apartment.


	6. Just to Talk

**Just to Talk**

Jason heaved a contented sigh as he pulled on a pair of black dorm pants, padding out to the balcony and leaving a very naked, very satisfied Roy Harper, alone in bed. Roy stretched out as he watched Jason go, not even trying to hide the fact that he was checking him out.

"That was the best sex I've had in weeks!" Roy called to Jason. Jason looked out over the city below, lighting up a cigarette. He glanced back at Roy over his shoulder and snorted.

"That was the only sex you've had in weeks, Harper. Unless you've been picking up strangers while I've been out," Jason called back. Roy snorted in reply and let his head fall back onto the bed.

"Pfft, you kidding? I got the hottest piece of ass right here in Gotham City!" Roy answered, earning a laugh from Jason.

"According to Gotham City, Dick Grayson has the hottest ass in the city," he replied. Roy snorted and gave a dismissive hand wave.

"What do they know? They've never seen adult Jay's ass," Roy answered, rolling over on his side. He licked his lips as he shamelessly stared at Jason's ass and added "it looks pretty damn fine to me." Jason chuckled in amusement, averting his gaze back to the city. Typical Roy Harper.

Though the man would never admit it, and you'd never know from the way he acted, Roy wasn't really a 'casual sex' kind of guy. Not _really._ It seemed that way, with how casual things were between him and Jason, but Roy wasn't one to go sleeping around with just anyone. And neither was Jason...at least, when he had a choice. And he did these days, and Roy was the only one who-

A knock came at the door, interrupting Jason's thoughts. He looked over his shoulder toward the door, but Roy was already up, pulling on some pants and making for the door.

"I got it Jaybird," he called with a wave back. Roy heaved a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck as he unlocked the door and pulled it open, revealing-

"Dick? What are you doing here?" Roy snapped, eyes narrowing. Dick chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck as he thought carefully on his words. The only reason he knew where they were was because of his detective skills. So...this was going to be a bit awkward.

"I uh...came to see Jason," Dick answered. Roy snorted and tried to close the door, but Dick stopped him, putting his foot in the door.

"Roy, please, I need to talk to him!"

"Yeah, no you don't. Go fuck up someone else's life," Roy snapped. Dick flinched at the comment and the door slammed shut on his face. Roy was really pissed, because he and Roy had always been good friends. But he and Jason were close friends, and he hurt Jason. So...

"Who was it?" Jason called as Roy padded back to the bedroom, flopping down on the bed.

"Dick. I told him to fuck off," Roy said evenly. Jason frowned, hardly surprised that Dick had found them.

"What did he want?" Jason asked.

"To talk. Probably be a dick. Pun intended," Roy answered with a sly smirk. Jason snorted and made his way out of the bedroom and for the front door. Roy bolted up off the bed.

"Woah, are you sure-"

"Yes, I'm sure Roy. I'm a big boy, I can handle my own shit," Jason snapped. Roy flinched and Jason patted his shoulder, flashing a smile "but thanks." Jason pulled the door open just as Dick was about to knock again.

"What do you want, Dick?" Jason asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Erm...j-just to talk," Dick answered. Jason sighed and waved him inside the apartment. Dick followed him and looked around nervously, eyes falling on Roy, who looked pretty pissed.

"You hurt him again, I'll push you off a bridge," Roy warned.

"Down boy!" Jason snapped at Roy. Roy glared at him, but raised his hands defensively, slipping out of the room and back into his own room. Jason turned and flopped down on the couch, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well? Talk."

Dick cleared his throat, hesitant to sit down beside Jason...so he settled for an arm chair.

"I uh...wanted to-"

"Apologize? You've done that. Excessively, I might add," Jason interrupted, quirking an eyebrow. Dick frowned, but gave a nod.

"I, uh...got to talking with Babs...if it makes you feel better, she kind of agrees that I screwed up." Jason snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, you kinda did." Dick smirked at the comment and shrugged.

"She also gave it to me pretty good. She didn't hold back," he said. Jason grinned but didn't say a word. Dick pushed himself off the chair and moved toward Jason, who froze at his approach.

"Jaybird," Dick said softly, sitting beside him. He took a deep breath, before he dared to grab Jason's hand, holding it lightly and continued "I'd like for us to...be together. L-like we wanted to. Before I-"

"Fucked up?"

"Erm...yeah," Dick answered, his face painted pink. Jason wasn't doing any better with his face tinted pink. The two of them sat there in silence, staring awkwardly around the room, avoiding looking at each other at all. It was Jason first, who finally broke the silence, his eyes falling on Dick.

"Dickie..." Jason paused, letting out an exasperated sigh as he scrubbed his face with his hand, squeezing Dick's fingers. Dick gave him a small smile and Jason's words failed him. Momentarily.

"I'm a killer, Dick. I-"

"You're sparing people. You're not the man who first came back to Gotham," Dick pointed out. Jason managed a smile, but it faded again and he shook his head.

"But you-"

"Can change too," Dick said softly, his expression fading slightly. Jason and Dick shared a look for a few, long moments. Dick bit his lip nervously before he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Jason's. Jason froze, didn't respond, not at first. But when he did, Dick felt dizzy. Jason pushed forward, slipping his tongue into the older man's mouth. Jason pushed him back, down onto the couch, deepening the kiss and Dick's arms wound themselves around Jason. Dick pulled the man tight against his body, kissing back eagerly, as if he'd been starving for affection.

But then he felt Jason's hands slide up, underneath his shirt, and he stopped, gently pushing Jason off of him.

"Jaybird, w-wait," Dick muttered, panting slightly when they parted. Jason sat up, looking confused. Dick sat up too, and gently enlaced his fingers with Jason's.

"I don't...want just sex, Jay. I want _you._ And as amazing as our...uh...first night together was...I uh...don't want a repeat. Not...not now. We're...I-" Dick tried to explain feeling flustered, but Jason shook his head.

"I get it, but why not? We both want it," Jason replied, leaning forward again and pressing his lips against Dick's neck. Dick bit his lip, stifling a moan.

"Jay...wait," Dick urged, pushing the man off of him again. Jason huffed in annoyance and settled back into his spot on the couch. Dick sighed and raked a hand through his hair.

"Didn't you just say you wanted to be with me? Then why do you keep pushing me away?!" Jason asked, annoyed. Dick heaved another sigh and scrubbed his face with his hands.

"Jason, I don't just want you physically! I mean, if I just wanted to fuck someone, I could go to a damn brothel or something," Dick snapped. Jason snorted and waved his hand dismissively.

"Then what the fuck do you want?" Jason growled. Dick snorted.

"Is that even a real question?! I _love_ you Jason! I want-" Dick paused, his face heating up and Jason watched him carefully, intrigued by the sudden pause.

"You want what?" he asked. Dick's face was burning now, but Jason needed an answer...so he decided to be honest.

"I want...what you and Roy have," Dick said softly, looking away from Jason. Jason wasn't sure what to say; he knew Dick loved him, but he figured it was mostly physical. Every time they were together, they were either making out or...having sex. And Jason was okay with that. He _wanted_ to be with Dick, any way he could. Even if it was just physically.

"What do you mean?" Jason asked, this time his turn to enlace his fingers with Dick's. Dick's blush deepened when he finally looked up at Jason.

"You and Roy are...so close. Not just physically but...emotionally. And I...I'm jealous...of him. Because I want that too. With you," Dick admitted. Jason's face was beet red now and his heat was hammering in his chest. He didn't realized Dick loved him _that_ much. Jason leaned closer again and pressed his lips against Dick's, the kiss slow and soft, much to Dick's surprise.

"Dick, I-" Jason paused and frowned before pushing off the couch, tugging Dick with him.

"Jaybird" Dick tried to protest when Jason began moving toward his bedroom. Jason turned and silence him with a quick kiss.

"It's okay Dickie. But I...I'm not really...good with words. Just...let me do this, okay?" Jason asked softly. Dick gave a nod and followed him into the bedroom. They moved toward Jason's bed, and Jason sat Dick down at the edge of it and sunk down to his knees, pushing Dick's legs apart and settling between them. Dick's breath hitched and his heart started racing faster, his brain quitting at him, completely at a loss for words.

Jason looked up at him and gave a sly smirk before he reached forward and undid the button on Dick's jeans, then slowly pulled down the zipper, all while locking eyes with Dick.

"W-wait, Jaybird," Dick breathed, attempting to push Jason away from him. Jason grabbed Dick's wrist, his other hand gently squeezing his knee. He gave the man a smile and Dick relaxed.

"Jaybird, I-"

"Just shut up and enjoy it," Jason snapped, hooking his fingers around the edges of Dick's pants and boxers and slowly tugging them down. Jason grinned again and leaned forward, running his tongue along Dick's shaft from base to tip. He chuckled a bit when he heard Dick gasp, felt him shiver slightly. Dick was trying not to make any noise, but that just wouldn't do.

Jason took Dick's length into his mouth, sucking lightly at the head. Dick whimpered and writhed a bit, so Jason slid his mouth down the length of his cock, taking as much of him down his throat as he could. A particularly loud whimper came from Dick, whose fingers slid through Jason's hair. He bit his lip, trying to stay quiet, so Jason upped his game.

He kept it slow and gentle, bobbing his head lightly, scrapping his teeth lightly along his length. Dick fall back on the bed, fingers curling I Jason's hair, pushing him down on his cock. And then, like music to his ears, Dick let loose a long, low moan.

"Fuck...Jaybird...f-feels amazing," he whimpered, hips thrusting up off the bed. Jason looked up at Dick from his place on the floor, eyes sparkling with mischief. He slid back up Dick's length and focused his attention on the head. He slid his hands up the man's sides, pushing up his shirt. He could feel Dick's muscles flexing underneath his hands.

Said hands slid down to Dick's hips, squeezing them lightly as he held the man down, taking his cock back down his throat, down to the base. Dick whined, moaned and writhed from the bed, one hand wound tightly in his hair, the other clenching the sheets.

"Jay-Jaybird I'm gonna...gonna cum," Dick breathed out. Jason grabbed Dick's balls and gave them a squeeze, fondling then in his hand as he took Dick down to the base, teeth scraping lightly as he sucked _hard._ Dick covered his mouth to stifle the loud moan that followed as he came. Jason swallowed him down, lips still wrapped around him even as he shuddered and started to wilt. Jason pulled off and felt Dick's hand clumsily touch his face.

"Jaybird, c'mere," Dick muttered tiredly. Jason smiled and climbed up onto the bed and lay beside Dick. Dick smiled at him and gently stroked his face before leaning in for a slow, gentle kiss. He could taste himself on Jason's tongue, but more than that, he felt Jason relax, and wrap his arms around him.

"Look, Dickie, I'm not good at this sentimental crap, but I know what I want. And I want you," Jason said softly. Dick smiled and settled into Jason's arms, who chuckled in amusement.

"Gonna fall asleep from a simple blow job?" he teased. Dick snorted.

"Simple blow job? That was a mind blowing blow job," Dick replied. Jason buried his face in Dick's hair.

"Well, d'you think that...maybe you'd want to, I don't know...be my boyfriend?" Jason asked softly. Dick looked up at him and smiled, pressing his lips against Jason's.

"I'd like that."


	7. Nightmares

**Nightmares**

"We had a deal!" Black Mask shouted, taking a threatening step toward Scarecrow. Scarecrow had his back to Black Mask, looking out the window down at the city below. He chuckled darkly as he slowly turned to face the man, raising a hand that had syringes on each finger tip. Scarecrow examined the glove carefully, inspecting each syringe.

"We did. But the terms have changed," Scarecrow said darkly. Black Mask growled and pulled out a gun, but moments later, his men stormed the office and turned their guns on him. Black Mask glanced at the turncoats out of the corners of his eyes, then turned his attention back on Scarecrow with a dark glare, lowering his gun.

"What?! What is the meaning of this?!" Black Mask growled. Scarecrow chuckled again as he moved across the room to stand before Scarecrow.

"I offered your men a better deal. To serve me, and have free reign to do as they please, when they please." Black Mask snorted as the men disarmed him.

"Yeah? And what makes you think you can offer them that?" Black Mask snapped. Scarecrow let out a cold laugh and opened his trench coat, revealing bottles of fear toxin feeding into his syringe-glove.

"Why, this of course."

"And why do you need a gang, huh?!"

"Everyone needs minions. These men of yours have become my Nightmares and they will distribute my fear toxin, first in the Bowery, then all over Gotham." Scarecrow stabbed the syringes into Black Mask and whispered to him Black Mask hissed in pain as he collapsed to his knees with Scarecrow standing over him.

"Your fear is obvious; you fear losing everything you have, losing all the power you've amassed and becoming nothing. And that is exactly what you will become," Scarecrow taunted, drawing away from the man who was whimpering on the floor.

"Take him away. His services are no longer required."

* * *

The Red Hood, Nightwing, Batman, Arsenal, and Robin were responding to a distress call from the Arkham Knights. Hood received a call from his men, and he alerted the others; Scarecrow was on the move. They'd found Black Mask running through the streets, screaming and terrified, and completely unresponsive to anything going on around him.

Needless to say, they apprehend him and had him shipped off to Arkham. But that was just the tip of the ice berg. Just like the incident with the fear toxin a week or so before, some of the Arkham Knights were now going insane. Terrified, the infected men started screaming and attacking their fellow Knights. It was chaos in the Bowery.

"Scarecrow betrays Black Mask, then makes a point of targeting my men. What gives?" Hood growled, standing on a roof tip beside Arsenal. Arsenal drew his bow and nocked an arrow.

"And they're the only ones who are infected?" Arsenal asked. Hood gave a nod.

"As far as anyone can tell, yes," he replied. Arsenal gave a grin and a shrug.

"Then I guess we'll just have to beat Scarecrow senseless and make him tell us." Hood chuckled in amusement and patted Arsenal's back.

"I like the way you think. Now c'mon," he said, diving off the roof top and swinging through the air with Arsenal behind him. The sounds of gunfire sounded in the distance and civilians screaming. Hood looked down to the streets below to see Black Mask's men, now Scarecrow's, setting up fans down on the streets. Without the Akrham Knights to stop them, they went about whatever it was they were doing, unhindered.

"There!" Hood called as he and Arsenal landed on top of an apartment complex. Arsenal looked toward where the Red Hood was pointing and grimaced. When the fans kicked on, a dark mist was emitted from the fan. The men installing them were wearing gas masks so it seemed obvious what they were up to.

"Shit. Looks like my men will have to wait," Hood grumbled. He was about to jump down, when Arsenal stopped him.

"I got this. Go help your men," Arsenal said. Hood glanced over at him and Arsenal gave a grin.

"Go on, I can handle this. Black Mask's men are D grade crooks as best," he joked, earning a laugh from Hood.

"Alright, thanks," Hood replied, continuing on without Arsenal. Arsenal contacted Oracle as he dived down to the street below, putting on a re-breather.

"Oracle, this is Arsenal. Tell Nightwing, Robin and Batman to be on the lookout for thugs setting up fans in the streets. They're distributing Scarecrow's fear toxin through the air," Arsenal said.

"On it. Batman, Nightwing, Robin, did you guys get that?"

"Loud and clear," Nightwing replied.

"The Arkham Knights will have to wait. Stopping that fear gas is top priority. Oracle, contact the GCPD and have them quarantine the Bowery until the situation is under control," Batman called over the comm link.

"Already done. The GCPD has been alerted and they're mobilizing as we speak," Oracle answered. Arsenal nocked an explosive arrow and aimed it at the fan. He let the arrow fly and when it struck, the fan exploded. Following that, a group of several heavily armed thugs with gas masks moved on him.

"Hey, isn't Halloween still months away? Sorry, I didn't bring any candy with me!" Arsenal called as the thugs attacked. Arsenal dodged out of the way of the gunfire and rapid fired off several arrows at the thugs. They struck and encased them in foam. The others were on him, but he avoided them easily, using his bow as a melee weapon. He struck at one's legs, knocking him down, then kicked him the face, knocking him out. Another fired a round of gunfire at him, which he avoided with a dodge roll, knocking an arrow and firing it at the thug. The taser arrow struck and incapacitated the man.

But no sooner had he dealt with them, that some more showed up. Arsenal sighed and shook his head.

"Oh boy. Today's gonna be a long day," he muttered, grin on his face as he nocked another arrow.

* * *

Nightwing ducked and flipped through the air, avoiding gunfire as Scarecrow's "nightmares" as they called themselves, tried to take him out. Their aim was terrible, but his was spot on; he threw several wing-dings at the men, knocking their guns out of their hands, then moved in close for the take downs.

He punched one thug in the face, then rolled across his back to use him as a shield as another came it him. The thug punched his friend in the face, then Nightwing threw him at him, sending them both crashing to the ground. Another attempted to strike him with a baseball bat from behind, but Nightwing ducked the attack and punched him in the gut. Another came at him from another angle, and he flipped over his head, spinning through the air and throwing an electrified bolas at him.

"Y'know, for 'nightmares' you guys really aren't all that scary," Nightwing quipped, tagging the fan with an explosive. He grappled up to a building nearby as the fan exploded.

"Nightwing to Oracle. Any more of those gas dispensers nearby?" Nightwing asked.

"Oracle here. Scarecrow's Nightmares are setting up gas dispensers all throughout the Bowery. You and Arsenal have taken down two, but there are still a dozen more either being set up, or dispensing fear gas as we speak. Sending coordinates to everyone," Oracle replied. Nightwing looked at the coordinates and found another on nearby.

"Alright, thanks. Moving to the next one. Any word on Scarecrow?"

"None so far, but I'll keep looking. I'm beginning to suspect he's in the sewers."

"Sounds about right," Nightwing replied with a smirk, swinging through the air and on to the next target.

"Hey, Red Hood, can you read me?" Nightwing called over the comm link.

"Hood here. What do you want, Nightwing?" he asked.

"You need a hand? I know we kind of bailed on your men-"

"It's fine. The civilians are more important. I've got the Arkham Knights handled. Don't worry, just find Scarecrow and break his face for me." Nightwing laughed in amusement.

"Will do," Nightwing replied, as the next fear gas dispenser came into view.

"Batman, Robin, how're you guys doing?" Nightwing called over the comm link.

"Fine, thanks. But I'm wondering why Black Mask's men are following Scarecrow," came Robin's voice, followed by the sounds of combat.

"Probably the usual promises of power and money," Nightwing replied as he engaged Scarecrow's men, effortlessly holding the conversation while dealing with the thugs and the gas dispensers.

"We can discuss motivations later. For now, focus on disabling these gas dispensers," came Batman's voice. But what they heard over the link next, had all of them momentarily paralyzed in fear; A terrified scream from Jason.

"Hood!" Nightwing shouted worriedly over the link. No response.

"Jason!" Still nothing.

"Jaybird!"

"N-no!" Jason cried out over the link.

"Go, help Red Hood." Batman said to Nightwing, but he didn't need to tell him. Nightwing followed his tracer, on his way to Jason's side.

"Hey, Nightwing, wait up! If Hood's in trouble, I'm coming with you!" Arsenal put in.

"No, stick to the mission, I've-"

"This isn't up for debate, Nightwing! I'm coming with you! End of discussion!" Arsenal snapped. Nightwing was silent as he raced toward the warehouse. He couldn't say he was surprised, but he knew that once Arsenal had made up his mind, it was impossible to change.

"Alright, be quick! He's in trouble and needs our help!" Nightwing called over the link. Arsenal snorted in reply.

"You don't need to tell me twice."

* * *

The Red Hood arrived on the scene, one of many where the Arkham Knights were fighting _each other._ But the terrified, fear toxin-addled mercenaries were especially dangerous, shooting and attacking anything and _anyone._ The matter was made more difficult by the fact that the Arkham Knights were loyal to each other to a fault and refused to kill their own.

"Sir!" called one of the men as he appeared on the scene. He was hiding behind a stack of crates, several other men alongside him.

"We managed to load our guns with non-lethal ammo. A difficult task, since we've been under constant fire since they were...infected," the man said. Red Hood gave a nod and patted his shoulder.

"Understood. How many are we up against?" Hood asked. Another of his men spoke up.

"About a dozen. There were eight teen of us stationed in the area. Only six of us remained untouched by the fear toxin. We have no idea how Scarecrow spread the toxin."

"Gas dispensers. Nightwing, Batman, Robin and Arsenal are taking care of them across the Bowery," Hood answered. He drew a pair of hand guns loaded with taser ammo and jumped out of cover, firing on the terrified Arkham Knights.

In their current state, they didn't stand much of a chance against him. But then Hood spotted Scarecrow out of the corner of his eye, and barely managed to dodge a melee attack. He took down the Knight and then pursued Scarecrow.

He followed the doctor into a warehouse...that was empty. And berated himself.

"Ugh, dammit. Rookie mistake!" Hood growled to himself.

"Yes. Yes it was," came Scarecrow's voice from above. Hood looked up in time to see Scarecrow dropping down. Hood moved to attack, but Scarecrow landed on him, jamming his syringes into him. Hood curses loudly as the demented doctor pulled way and fled. He stopped at the door, looking back at Hood who was curled into a ball on the ground.

"I would love to examine your fears, but I have more pressing matters to attend to. Namely, setting a trap for the Batman. His legend ends tonight," Scarecrow called back, giving a sick laugh as he escaped the warehouse.

Jason let out a quick, terrified scream as he whipped his helmet off.

"Hood! Jason! Jaybird!"

" _Well, well, well! What have we here? A little birdie, lost and alone? No worries, Uncle J will take care of you! Bwuahahahahaaa!"_


	8. Loved and Wanted

**Loved and Wanted**

 _Jason looked down at his own two hands and they were garbed in dark green gloves. He was Robin again. When he looked up, The Joker stood before him with a sick grin on his face and a crowbar in hand._

" _Wakey wakey! It's time for school! Joker's school of Hard Knocks! Bwuahahaha! Get it? Because I'm gonna hit you with this crowbar!" he taunted, smacking Jason in the face with the crowbar. He grunted in pain, but when he tried to move, he found himself bound. The warehouse where he died appeared around him. Jason closed his eyes shit tight._

" _It's not real. It's not real!" he whispered to himself. The Joker laugh and grabbed him by his chin, forcing their eyes to meet._

" _Oh, it's very, very real!"_

" _No! You're dead!" The Joker stepped back and looked thoughtful, then he grinned again._

" _Why, I suppose I am! Well, technically speaking," The Joker said with a cackle. He moved toward Jason and rubbed his hair._

" _But I'm alive and well in your noggin! So while you live, so do I!" The Joker said darkly, grin widening._

" _No...no!" Jason yelled, struggling against the ropes that bound him. The Joker laughed and tapped the crowbar against the side of Jason's head. Jason flinched at the contact._

" _Why do you think daddy bats is always glaring at you, giving you the stink eye, hmm?" The Joker taunted, walking a lap around Jason. He giggled and the continued "he obviously doesn't love you! Why, I'll tell you why he treats you the way he does," and then the Joker leaned in really close and whispered in Jason's ear "because you remind him of me!"_

" _No!" Jason shouted, struggling to get free again, which only served to make the demented clown cackle hysterically._

" _The mere sight of you reminds him of me! You're his greatest failure and whenever he looks at you, he's looking at me!" The Joker struck Jason across the face with the crowbar, then grabbed his chin roughly and forced their eyes to meet._

" _Face it bird boy; no matter how hard you try to get rid of me, you and I are one in the same now!"_

" _No! No, no, no," Jason muttered, shaking his head as the restraints fell away. He was kneeling on the ground, hands covering his face. It was raining and when he looked into the puddle of water below him, he saw the Joker's face. The face laughed at him and when he looked up, his friends, his family, were glaring at if as if he were some kind of monster._

" _This is what they really see," The Joker whispered in his ear, before moving to stand in front of him "a monster! A killer! Me!" The Joker let loose another demented cackle._

* * *

Nightwing raced across the rooftops, flipping through the air as he followed Jason's tracer. He met up with Arsenal on the way there and together, the two of them made their way down to an old warehouse.

"No!" they heard Jason cry out. Without another though, they threw the doors open, Arsenal drawing his bow and Nightwing his escrima sticks. The sounds of gunfire echoed from outside, from the other side of the warehouse. But when they spotted Jason, curled on the floor, whimpering and crying out in fear, all else was forgotten.

"Jaybird!" they cried out in unison, racing to his side. Nightwing knelt down beside Jason, Arsenal on his other wise, the two of them exchanging glances before Nightwing bundled Jason in his arms.

"Hey, Jaybird, I know you can hear me. Listen, it's fear gas! It's not real!" Dick said softly into his ear. Arsenal moved closer to them, running his thumb over Jason's face.

"Hey, listen! I know you can hear us, and you gotta fight it Jaybird," Roy said softly.

" _You think anyone loves you? Ha! You're a killer! Just like your Uncle J! Who could love you? But look on the bright side; I've always hated you like a son," the Joker murmured in Jason's ear, grinning darkly at the young boy, curled on the floor before him._

"The Joker," Dick murmured. Roy looked up at him and quirked an eyebrow. Dick locked eyes with him for a moment and said "he mentioned the Joker." Dick looked down at Jason and hugged the man to his chest.

"Listen to me Jaybird, don't listen to him. Listen to my voice, listen to Roy's voice," Dick whispered in his ear.

"Hey Batman, we need an antidote, like _now._ Jason's in bad shape, he got a full direct doze into his blood stream and this shit is powerful," Roy said over the comm link.

"I've brought some along, but it's having little effect. This new formula is too potent. Jason will have to just ride through it," Batman muttered.

"Then what fuckin' good are you?!" Roy shouted into the comm link, closing the channel and turning back to Dick and Jason.

"Jaybird, listen, I know what you're afraid of," Roy said to him, grabbing his hand "and you're not alone. You're loved, and you're wanted. Shake it off Jaybird."

"Roy...Dick," Jason murmured. Dick and Roy exchanged glances and continued to talk to him, to try talking him out of it.

" _What was that cupcake? Didn't quite catch that. Frankly it's amazing you can talk at all with a punctured lung," The Joker asked with a laugh as he leaned down close to Jason. Jason lurched forward and grabbed the Joker by the collar of his purple jacket._

" _I said...I'm. Not. You," Jason growled, shoving the clown away from him. The Joker cackled insanely and lunged at Jason, crowbar raised and poised to strike. Jason let out an angry roar as he ducked the attack and punched the Joker in the stomach, then slamming him to the ground._

"Dick...Roy," Jason murmured. He groaned in pain, clutching his head in his hands as he curled tighter into a ball "I...fuck." Nightwing and Arsenal sat beside him, keeping a close eye on him. It seemed as if the worst was over, but Jason was still under its effects.

"We need to get him out of here," Nightwing said evenly. Arsenal gave a nod, and they both lifted him up carefully, draping his arms over their shoulders.

"C'mon Jaybird, let's get you home," Arsenal said softly.

"Fuckin'...rookie mistake. Such a failure," Jason murmured.

"Shut up, you're not a failure," Nightwing said sternly. Jason gave an exhausted sight as Nightwing and Arsenal lead him out of the warehouse.

"Where's Scarecrow?" Nightwing asked.

"We lost him. He escaped in the chaos, but I don't doubt that he'll be back," Batman replied.

"How's J-The Red Hood?" Robin corrected.

"He's gonna be okay, but he's in rough shape. We're taking him...away from here," Nightwing replied.

"Sending the Batmobile," Batman called. Sure enough, minutes later, the batmobile peeled to a halt before them. Nightwing and Roy carefully placed Jason inside before hopping in themselves and taking off down the street.

"Take us back to our place," Roy said evenly as he peeled his mask off. Nightwing glanced over at him briefly.

"Why-"

"Just do it. Trust me. I doubt waking up in the batcave would be ideal, Roy pointed out. Nightwing gave a shrug, followed by a nod. He couldn't really disagree with that, knowing Jason. So when they came to the apartment building, Nightwing hid the batmobile down an alleyway while they (somehow) managed to sneak Jason onside. The Batmobile took off on autopilot, likely headed back for the cave.

Once they got inside, they got Jason into his bed to sleep the rest of the toxin off. Nightwing immediately headed for the window, but Roy stopped him.

"Hey, where are you going?" Roy asked, quirking an eyebrow. Dick peeled off his mask and looked over his shoulder back at Roy.

"I uh-"

"Stay. He'd want you here," Roy said evenly.

"Roy"

"Stay. I got some clothes you can borrow," Roy said more adamantly. Dick could see it in the man's eyes; "no" was not an option. So he flashed a smile and slipped back inside.

"Thanks," Dick said softly. Roy flashed a smile back and retreated into his bedroom, returning with a change of clothes.

"Anything for Jaybird," Roy said smoothly.

* * *

Jason groaned as he came to, rolling over on his side. He slowly pushed himself into a sitting position and looked around the room; his room. The first thing he felt, was shame. He made a rookie mistake and walked right into a trap!

"Hey Jaybird. How're you feeling?" Dick asked from the doorway. Jason glanced up at Dick and frowned letting himself fall back on the bed.

"Like crap," Jason answered, scrubbing his face with his hands. Dick moved across the room and sat at the edge of the bed, watching Jason.

"Well, when we found you, you weren't exactly in top condition," Dick joked. Jason snorted in amusement, followed by a laugh. Without warning, he grabbed Dick's arm and pulled him down for a kiss. Dick was surprised at first, by the sudden move, but relaxed almost immediately.

The kiss was slow and gentle, their lips moving together, melting together, tongues dancing. Dick felt Jason's hand on his face, felt his thumb caressing his cheek. He could feel the heat pooling on his face as a blush settled across his cheeks. To Dick, this was amazing all on its own. This was what he'd wanted for so long/. To hold Jason, to kiss him, nice and slow, to be able to enjoy everything about him; his body, his mind, his lips. And so he kissed back, slipping his tongue into the younger man's mouth.

Jason moaned softly; everything about this moment was perfection. Ignoring the circumstances that brought it about, of course. He and Dick hadn't had a whole lot of time to spend together, so he took whatever he could. He wasn't exactly a good kisser, not the way Dick liked it. His only real experience with kissing was with Roy and those were usually heated, fast, rough. But this? He could learn to like this too.

But there would be time for more of this later. Right now, Jason had other things on his mind...as he slipped his hand beneath Dick's pants. Dick gasped and pulled back a bit, blushing crimson and staring down at Jason, who had a seductive grin plastered across his face.

"Jaybird, I-"

"I know. It's not just about sex. I know, you keep telling me, but," Jason replied, leaning up and burying his face in Dick's neck, kissing and sucking up marks along the flesh. Dick moaned softly and let himself give in. He mirrored Jason, kissing at the man's neck with his hands slipped down beneath the hem of his boxers. He whimpered when Jason's hands came into contact with his hardening cock. And damn was he hard.

"Jay," Dick breathed as he reached down with one hand to push his pants and hos boxers down. Jason took the opportunity to flip them. Dick yelped in surprise as Jason pinned him to the bed, shoving his pants and boxers the rest of the way off and grabbing his cock in his hand firmly, pumping him with slow strokes. Dick gasped and whimpered, writhing beneath Jason.

"I...I wanna see...see you Jay. All of you. Please," Dick said softly. Jason chuckled a bit under his breath as he parted from Dick and stripped off his own clothing. Dick propped himself up on his elbows, watching Jason with heated eyes, watching as more and more of the man's flesh was revealed, until he stood bare before him.

"Like what you see?" Jason purred. Jason crawled back onto the bed, on top of Dick and ground himself against him. The two of them moaned low in their throats as their erections moved together, the friction between them just...indescribable.

"Hey Jaybird, I-oh shit, am I interrupting something?" came Roy's voice as he stumbled into the room. He stood there, watching with a sly smirk on his face. Jason huffed in annoyance and glared over at Roy, while Dick...looked away, face beet red.

"Yes, Roy. You were," Jason said flatly. Roy chuckled in amusement and raised his hands defensively.

"Alright, alright. I'll come back later," Roy said.

"Uh uh. Get your ass over here," Jason demanded, a feral grin spreading across his face. Dick immediately looked back at Jason, a shocked expression on his face.

"Jay!" Dick whispered and Jason chuckled in amusement, leaning down and pressing a kiss to Dick's lips. He nodded toward Roy.

"Roy take off your shirt," Jason said. Roy obeyed, stripping off his shirt and tossing it aside.

"Look at him, Dickie," Jason said softly, gently grabbing the man by his chin and making him look at Roy "and tell me you're not just a little curious. A little turned on." Dick looked at Roy, eyes wandering over the man's bare body, his cheeks heating up. He couldn't lie, Roy was quite attractive.

"C'mon. It'll be fun," Jason whispered in Dick's ear.

"Look, I don't want to come between you two," both Roy and Dick said in unison. They shared a look, followed by a laugh. Then Dick looked up at Jason and kissed his lips.

"I...polyamory is...I mean..."

"Perhaps we can have this discussion when you two aren't naked. And when I'm not hard as a rock, cuz let's face it," Roy said, massaging himself through his pants "this is probably the hottest thing I've ever seen." Roy licked his lips, and Dick groaned, trying to push Jason off of him with one hand while grabbing at the blanket with the other. But Jason pinned his arms above his head and leaned down kissing him slowly, deeply, passionately.

"Why hide it, Dickie? You're beautiful," Jason whispered into his ear. Dick blushed an even deeper shade of red, much to Jason's amusement. He glanced over at Roy...and grinned.

"Well, I guess I wouldn't mind...sharing you with my...er...other crush," Dick admitted. Both Roy and Jason were taken aback by the comment. Jason sat up and Roy looked at him wide eyed.

"What?" they both asked in unison. Dick smirked and shrugged his shoulders.

"I used to have a crush on Roy. No big deal," Dick answered. A silence settled upon the room, and then all three of them laughed.

"I love Jason. And I want you to be happy. And Roy makes you happy," Dick said softly, pulling the man down and capturing his lips in a deep kiss. The bed sunk a little, and Dick opened one eye to see Roy behind Jason, kissing his neck. Roy wrapped an arm around Jason's chest and his other hand gripped Dick's cock, giving it a few firm strokes. Dick moaned into the kiss, hips thrusting (as much as they could with Jason on top of him) into Roy's hand. Roy stopped everything for a few moments as he pushed his pants and boxers down off his ass and let them fall to the floor.

"I have to admit, I'm kind of excited," Roy said softly, a grin tugging at his lips "because I've been telling Jaybird here about my fantasy of having sex with you, Dickie-bird."

"Yeah, and now you get to fuck both me and your fantasy guy," Jason murmured against Dick's lips, earning a breathy laugh from the man beneath him. Roy wrapped his arm back around Jason's chest and returned to kissing and sucking at the man's neck. He glanced down at Dick then and their eyes met.

"You sure you're okay with this, Dick?" Roy asked carefully. Dick opened his mouth to speak, but it was cut off by a loud moan as he felt a lubed finger pushing into him. Roy chuckled at him and Dick shot a half-glare.

"Y-yeah. I...I know Jason loves me-" Dick began, then Jason cut in.

"Even if I can't say it yet," he murmured, his tone disappointed. Dick gently stroked Jason's cheek.

"You'll say it when you're ready," he replied with a smile. Jason smiled back and added another finger, tossing the lube back to Roy. Roy chuckled as he clicked the cap off and lubed up his fingers and nudged at Jason's hole. Jason moaned at the intrusion as he added a third finger inside Dick, taking his time to prepare him.

The bed was a bit small for three people, creaking loudly as Roy pulled away to give Jason some room. Jason lifted Dick's legs up and positioned himself at his entrance.

"You ready?" He asked softly. Dick gave a nod, reaching for Jason's hand and elnacing their fingers. Jason smiled a bit as he grabbed his cock and guided the head inside. Dick gasped as he felt the man's length penetrating him, pushing deep into him. Jason groaned, hunching over Dick as he pushed himself inside to the hilt.

"Damn Dickie, you're so tight," Jason breathed. He glanced over his shoulder at Roy who was positioned behind him, seductive grin plastered across his face. He gave a nod, and Roy pushed the head of his cock past Jason's entrance. Jason groaned, leaning down to kiss Dick hard. Once Roy was all the way inside Jason, they set a slow pace, Jason thrusting into Dick and Roy into Jason.

The sounds of panting, moaning and the bed creaking filled the room. Roy dictated the pace, Jason fucking Dick roughly, and Roy slamming into Jason, just the way he liked it. Jason sped up his thrusts, slamming into Dick as hard as he dared, while being careful not to hurt him, and Roy mirrored his thrusts, fucking Jason hard, savoring the wanton moans he tore out of the man.

"God, this is-" Dick began, and Jason finished "amazing."

"Fuck, not gonna last much longer," Roy murmured against Jason's neck as he fucked Jason. Jason groaned, thrusting roughly against Dick.

"Me neither," both Dick and Jason murmured in unison. And then he could feel it, his orgasm drawing nearer. Jason leaned down and claimed Dick's mouth in a rough kiss, grabbing at the man's hand, enlacing heir fingers. His thrusts became erratic, fast and hard until finally, he came with a loud moan, his lips melted against Dick's. He kept thrusting as he filled Dick, squeezing the man's fingers. Dick threaded his fingers through Jason's hair and gave a hard tug as he near screamed as he came across his stomach and chest. Jason whimpered softly at the intensity of his orgasm as he fell on top of Dick. Roy whimpered and moaned as he kept thrusting, gripping Jason's hips and slamming into him. Jason let loose another cry of pleasure, in chorus with Roy as the man finally came inside of him. He felt Roy collapsed against his back, the three of them panting, catching their breaths and basking in the afterglow.

"Mmm, damn. That was as amazing as I imagined," Jason breathed, shoving Roy off of him. Roy lazily fell onto the floor with a muttered 'ow' but was more than content to just lay there, naked and sweaty. Jason heaved a sigh and rolled off of Dick, laying by his side and gazing into his eyes with a warm smile on his face.

Dick glanced over at him and the two of them shared a gentle kiss. Jason grinned against his lips and kissed a trail down Dick's chest, licking up the mess he left behind. Dick gasped when Jason reached his cock, but he pushed the man off him.

"God, Jaybird, no more, please, you're killing me," Dick breathed. Jason gave a breathy chuckled and moved back to lay beside Dick.

"Well, we can't have that," Jason replied, stealing another kiss.

"Just shut up and go to sleep," Dick said with a yawn. Jason chuckled in amusement and wrapped his arms around Dick, tugging him against his chest. Dick yawned again and closed his eyes, burying himself in Jason's arms.

Jason looked over his shoulder down at Roy, who was content to just lay on the floor.

"Hey, get your ass up here," Jason ordered. Roy frowned and looked up at Jason.

"But you and Dick-"

"Just shut up and get up here," Jason replied. Roy chuckled in amusement and raised his hands defensively.

"Fine, fine, who am I to argue," the man replied. He slipped into the bed, wrapping his arms around both Jason and Dick, cuddling against them. Roy gently pressed his lips against Jason's neck.

"So, how's this gonna go down?" Roy asked softly. He knew this was likely just a one time thing, but even still...

"Dunno. Just shut up and enjoy it, hmm?"

"Fine, if you shut up and go to sleep."

"Bitch."

"Jerk."

* * *

 **Note: Well...that was interesting. I'm not really sure what happened here, but I just sort of went with it. So...enjoy? xP**


	9. Tracking the Fear

**Tracking the Fear**

Dick groaned as he cuddled closer to the body beside him. His eyes slowly opened to the dimly lit room around him, falling upon the sleeping face of his boyfriend. Last night had definitely been...interesting...to say the least. His face flushed pink as he thought about it, specifically how it might be fun to do it again. Then he laughed lightly to himself out of sheer irony; he always used to joke that Jason was such a pervert, and here he was thinking about having another three-way.

"Mmm, what's so funny?" Jason murmured, shifting a bit in the bed, Dick still wrapped in his arms. Dick smiled at him, leaning in closer for a slow, gentle kiss. Jason gladly returned to favor, their slow kiss deepening as Jason pulled Dick a little closer.

"Thought I heard you two making out in here," came Roy's voice. Dick and Jason looked up toward the source to a very smug looking Roy Harper, standing in the doorway dressed in nothing but a pair of jeans. Dick and Jason both sat up and stretched a bit. Jason let out a particularly loud yawn, then flipped Roy off.

"Hey, we were busy! Did you have to interrupt and ruin the moment?" Jason asked sourly. Roy snorted, holding back a laugh and gave a nod.

"Yes I did. You two are so sweet it could induce cavities," Roy joked, earning a blush from both Dick and Jason. Roy chuckled in amusement and padded out of the room. Dick and Jason slipped out of bed and dressed, following him out. Dick rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he glanced back and forth between Jason and Roy. They seemed so casual about what happened, he almost felt out of place. Then again, the two of them had always been, or done, casual...

"Bruce called by the way," Roy said smoothly, pouring three cups of coffee. Jason and Dick sat down at the kitchen table as Roy joined them, carrying three cups, one for each of them.

"Thanks," Dick said, offering Roy a smile.

"No problem. After that performance last night-"

"Shut up Roy," Jason snapped, tone both playful and annoyed at the same time. Roy chuckled and raised his hands defensively, then winked at Dick. Dick blushed a bit but couldn't help but smirk a bit. So this was what it was like between Roy and Jason?

"Anyway, he wanted to know if Jaybird was alright," Roy said evenly, sipping his coffee. Jason snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Oh please, it's not like I haven't been hit with fear gas before," Jason said flatly, sipping his own coffee.

"Yeah, but that stuff was pretty powerful," Dick put in. Jason glanced over at Dick and sighed, giving a nod.

"Yeah, yeah. I...suppose it was," Jason muttered, his thoughts wandering back to what he experienced while he was under the effects of the fear gas. It was true, he still held on to his anger, his hatred, and even a bit of fear, of the Joker. But what disturbed him the most was what the Joker, or rather the phantom of him in his mind, had said. Was it true? Did Bruce really look at him and see...the Joker? And now he found himself being annoyed, because the hell did he suddenly care what Bruce thought?

"Well, I suppose I should go and see him. At the very least I owe him an explanation," Dick said softly, finishing his coffee. Jason snorted and waved his hand dismissively.

"You don't owe him anything. Besides, I don't want him to know about...well...us," Jason replied, the last bit a little sheepishly. Dick glanced over at Jason in surprise, quirking an eyebrow.

"What? Why? Why does it matter if-"

"Because he'll give us grief about it! Look, he doesn't exactly trust me, and if I have to sit through another lecture, I might break something," Jason said sourly.

"Or someone," Roy put in. Jason raised his cup to the before he drained it of its contents. Dick snickered in amusement.

"Didn't you and he talk recently? Clear things up?"

"Not exactly. He still doesn't trust me, I can tell. He's not as good at hiding things as he thinks he is," Jason answered, tossing his cop to Roy as the man stood up. Roy caught it effortlessly and moved to the kitchen sink. Dick glanced back and forth between Jason, noting the irony in the man's own words; Jason himself wasn't as good at hiding things as he thought either. He could see a twinge of disappointment in his eyes at his own words. Jason wanted Bruce to trust him again. But there was also no denying that there was still a lot of anger there, too.

"Well, I should get going. Find out what went down, at least," Dick said smoothly, pushing himself up from the kitchen table. He kissed the side of Jason's head, then slipped out of the apartment. Roy rejoined Jason at the table, ignoring the ache he felt in his heart, because it hurt to see the object of his affection be with someone else.

"Hey, Jaybird," Roy said softly. Jason looked at him with his usual scowl, to which Roy chuckled in amusement.

"So...you and Dickie. You're together now," Roy said smoothly. Jason snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious." Roy laughed and shook his head.

"You're welcome, but that's not what I'm getting at."

"Yeah? Then what?"

"Well...how're you gonna handle it? I mean, you know Bruce and Tim are going to be in the picture now," Roy pointed out. Jason groaned, running his hands through his hair.

"Fuck, I know. Thanks for reminding me. But for now, I want to keep my distance for as long as possible."

"Well, you've always got Alfred at your back," Roy pointed out. Jason managed a small smile and patted Roy's shoulder.

"Yeah, and I got you too." Roy chuckled in amusement and returned the gesture.

"That you do."

"And at any rate, thanks. For, y'know. Helping us get together." Roy blushed a bit and shook his head and hands.

"Oh, well...it's just what any good friend would do-"

"You've been there for me since I was a dumb teenager. You're the best...well, friend doesn't quite cover it. I don't feel...a romantic attachment to you, but to write it off as a friendship is...just bullshit. You're more than that to me," Jason replied. Roy smiled brightly and patted Jason's back.

"Aww, Jaybird, that's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me! Hold me!"Roy joked using an exaggerated tone as he dramatically fell back into Jason's lap. Jason snorted and shoved him off onto the floor. Roy hit the floor with an 'ow' and grinned up at Jason.

"You just _had_ to make it awkward. And on a side note, you ever tell anyone what was said here, and I'll beat you with in an inch of your life."

"Don't promise me with a good time, Jaybird."

"Ugh, you're such a loser."

* * *

Dick arrived down in the batcave to find Bruce and Tim training together. A little sparring match. He grinned as he watched them go and could see great improvement on Tim's part. The kid was really good. Dick himself had trained with Tim on numerous occasions, mostly in acrobatics. Few people could match him as an acrobat, but Tim was definitely up there in skill.

"Hey Tim!" Dick called, waving to the teen. Tim looked over at Dick and got a punch to the gut, sending him toppling over backwards. Dick laughed in amusement and moved toward the teen, helping him up.

"Gotta stay focused baby bird," Dick said smoothly. Tim pouted and punch Dick playfully in the arm.

"Dick."

"That's my name, don't wear it out!"

"Ugh." Dick laughed in amusement and ruffled Tim's hair, Bruce chuckling at their interaction as he moved across the came toward the computer. Dick followed after him.

"So, any news on Scarecrow? Sorry we didn't come back to help, by the way," Dick offered. Bruce grunted in response, pulling up a bunch of files.

"It's fine, Dick. He got away. No need to apologize," Bruce began, turning in his chair to face Dick "and I'm assuming you and Jason had fun last night." He grinned smugly even as Dick blushed as red as a tomato.

"W-why would you-"

"I'm a detective, Dick. I'm also not stupid. I can see the signs," Bruce pointed out, grin softening into a smile. Dick smiled a bit in return, nodding a bit as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"S-so you know about...Jason and I?"he asked. Bruce nodded.

"I do. And I've known for a while. How is Jason by the way?" Bruce asked, turning his attention back to the screen.

"He's alright. The Fear Gas was pretty potent though. We had to talk him out of it," Dick said softly, raking a hand through his hair "though his training helped quite a bit too." Bruce gave a curt nod, then turned in his chair again. He glanced over at Tim, who was busying himself practicing strikes against a dummy.

"Tim. Dick and I need to talk. Alone," Bruce said smoothly. Tim frowned over at them but gave a nod and retreated from the cave. When Dick turned back to Bruce, Bruce was handing him an envelope. Curious, Dick opened it staring wide-eyed at its contents.

"This is-"

"Legal papers for your adoption. Yes," Bruce replied, whirling back to the computer screen "I know how it always bothered you that I adopted Jason and not you-"

"I get it though, Bruce. It's not a big deal, really. I got over that ages ago," Dick replied. Bruce shook his head and went on.

"You're everything I ever wanted in a son, Dick. You, Jason and Tim. All of you. I hope I'm not insulting your parents' memory. It just requires a signature, but..." Bruce took a deep breath and scrubbed his face with his hands "I know I don't say it...I'm not really sure how, so this is...the only way I know how to express that-"

"I get it. Thank you Bruce, this means a lot to me. And I love you too," Dick replied, patting the man's back. He slid the papers back into the envelope and sighed.

"I'd need some time to think about it. I mean, it goes without saying, you adopted Jason already and it'd be, y'know, complicated to date my brother," Dick said with a laugh. Even Bruce snorted with held back laughter, abut a smirk still touched his lips regardless "but besides, I don't need a piece of paper to tell me I'm your son. I consider myself lucky, actually. I could've easily ended up alone."

"You and Jason would be brothers, legally, but you're not related by blood, Dick," Bruce pointed out. Dick gave a nod and put on a thoughtful look.

"True, but...it'd still present some...problems. But tell me, Bruce. Do _you_ need a piece of paper to tell you you're my dad?" Dick asked, quirking an eyebrow. Bruce smiled a bit at the comment and shook his head.

"No. No I don't." The cave went silent, almost awkward, with Bruce and Dick both staring up at the screen. Dick finally cleared his throat and patted Bruce on the back.

"Okay, well, the moment has passed, so why don't you tell me what we have on Scarecrow?" Dick asked with a smile. Bruce smirked at him then tapped away on the keyboard.

"Scarecrow escaped, but I've be followed a pattern of fear gas attacks. They've moving closer and closer to Arkham. After we apprehended the bulk of his men, it seems unlikely he'll make a move tonight, but he'll move soon."

"You think he's going to break Arkham open?"

"I think he's going to try," Bruce replied, glancing up at Dick out of the corner of his eye. Dick frowned as he looked at the screen.

"What exactly would he gain from breaking Arkham open?" Dick asked.

"It's hard to say. The obvious is that it generates a level of fear and chaos, having all of Arkham's psychopaths loose in the city. But I believe he has another reason for it. What that might be, I'm unsure," Bruce answered. Dick looked down at Bruce and contemplated his next words carefully.

"Do you think we should ask Jason and his Arkham Knights for help?" Another silence permeated the air. Bruce didn't like asking for help. He'd tried to push him to go back to Bludhaven on more than one occasion as well.

"No," he answered simply. Dick sighed and opened his mouth to speak, but Bruce cut him off "but I don't believe they're going to sit this out either. I don't think I could stop him if I wanted to. Do you?" Dick grinned and shook his head.

"No. No, you _really_ couldn't."


	10. Unamusement Mile

**Unamusement Mile**

"We've all been inoculate against Scarecrow's fear gas. It should last for a couple of hours," Batman said over the comm link, as he and Robin raced toward Arkham in the batmobile. Arsenal, The Red Hood and his Arkham Knights already had the island surrounded, covertly of course, and Nightwing was making his way there via his Wing Glider.

"Right, so Hood, have you seen any sign of Scarecrow or his thugs?" Robin asked, typing away on his wrist-mounted computer.

"No. Nothing yet. But when I get my hands on him-"

"No killing," Batman interrupted. Hood snorted in response.

"Yeah, yeah. Relax old man, you'll give yourself an aneurysm." Nightwing snickered in amusement, and everyone could hear it over the link. Arsenal laughed.

"I can hear him scowling!" The archer said.

"Focus. Oracle, anything on Crane?" Batman asked.

"No. Nothing. But-wait. My eye in the sky has picked up some movement toward Arkham Island. They're most definitely not staff vehicles or GCPD," Oracle replied.

"Gotcha. My Arkham Knights stand at the ready," Hood replied. Nightwing dropped down beside him and Batman and Robin arrived moments later. Sure enough, the vehicles approached Arkham came to a stop, and Scarecrow's Nightmares jumped out, armed to the teeth and wearing gas masks.

The Arkham Knights came out of the shadows for a surprise attack, and surprised the Nightmares were. Batman glanced over at Hood who sighed deeply and shook his head.

"They're using non-lethal ammo! Get off my ass!" Hood growled, jumping into combat. Nightwing followed, but stopped before Batman first.

"You could try a little trust. He and Arsenal both are trying to clean up their act," Nightwing snapped, before he followed after him. Batman watched him go for a few moments before he too lept into combat with Robin by his side. Arsenal loosed arrows from a distance, polyurethane foam arrows and taser arrows to incapacitate Scarecrow's men.

Between the combined might of Batman, Robin, Nightwing, Red Hood, Arsenal, and The Arkham Knights, Scarecrow's Nightmares stood no chance. Soon, they had all been incapacitated and rounded up.

"No sign of Scarecrow?" Batman asked Oracle.

"None."

Batman glared at the Nightmares. One of them was still conscious, so he grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and swung him through the air, up over his head and slammed him on the ground.

"Scarecrow! Where is he?!" Batman growled. The man shouted in pain, followed by a whimper at Batman's questioning.

"Pfft. You call that an interrogation? That's not how you get information," Hood said flatly, approaching Batman. He waved the man off and said "out of the way. I'll show you how it;s done." Batman glanced over at him, then at Nightwing. So he gave a little trust and stepped aside.

"I don't condone the Red Hood's tactics," Batman said evenly, eyes narrowing "so if I were you, I'd talk." Hood chuckled in amusement and grabbed the man by the throat and hauled him to his feet. He punched the man in the gut.

"Talk."

"No."

"I was hoping you'd say that," Hood said with a laugh. He tripped the man, kicking at his feet, then wrapped his arm around his throat and put him in a choke hold.

"Talk or I'll snap your neck! Tap out any time you feel like flapping those gums!" Hood growled in his ear.

"Hood, that's-" Batman growled, but the man tapped Hood's arm and Hood let him go. The man gasped for breath and collapsed to his hands and knees. Hood pulled out a gun and fired a round beside his head.

"That was a warning shot. Now fuckin' talk," Hood snarled.

"Okay!" the man yelped, turning to look at his torturer.

"He found an underground tunnel beneath Arkham! He's-" an explosion sounded in the distance. Everyone turned their attention to the main building of the Asylum and the thug took the distraction as an opportunity to escape. Batman, without looking, clothes lined the man, taking him out.

The five of them raced to the scene to find that a huge portion of the wall had been exploded and some of the inmates were escaping.

"You know what to do!" Batman called and naturally, the five of them got to work.

* * *

The five of them returned to the cave after having mostly cleaned up the mess at Arkham. Operative word being _mostly._ Some of the inmates were still on the loose but they currently had no way to track them.

"This isn't over yet. Scarecrow escaped with several inmates for what purpose, we don't know," Bruce said evenly. They'd previously attempted to find out who was missing, but the Asylum's records were destroyed during the escape. It would be nearly impossible to tell who was missing. Though after tonight, Bruce build his own database on Arkham's inmates for just such an occasion, should it occur again in the future.

"So then the question is still 'who did he spring from Arkham and why?'" Roy said smoothly and and Jason standing beside each other with their arms crossed. Dick snickered in amusement.

"What's so funny?" they both asked in unison, exchanging a glance.

"You two! You're so alike, all serious and pouty," Dick teased. Tim giggled from behind him.

"Yeah, no kidding. You guys are practiocally married." Roy laughed and shook his head, grabbing Dick and pushing him and Jason together.

"Oh no, these two are going to be the married couple soon, mark my words."

"Roy!' Dick squeaked, face flushed. Jason snorted.

"As if. No offense Dickie, but can you really picture me as the married type? Me? Settling down, having kids of some crap."

"I think you'd be a good dad though," Dick put in. Jason blushed a bit and shook his head.

"Pfft. As if."

"I've got something," came Oracle's voice over the batcomputer. She popped up on the screen, typing away on her computer.

"Scarecrow was spotted at...Amusement Mile?"

The five of them exchanged glances at the revelation. What could Scarecrow possibly want at that old abandoned theme park?

"Amusement Mile," Bruce repeated under his breath, eyes narrowing, deep in thought. Jason was glaring at the screen, glaring at the pictures of Amusement Mile. Anger started to well up inside him as the memories came back. Dick watched him with sorrowful eyes, and he could see a trace of fear there too. It was understandable, considering what the Joker had done to him. But that fear could play into Scarecrow's hands. And yet, he knew he wouldn't be able to convince Jason to stay behind...

"Let's go then. Scarecrow is overdue for an ass kicking," Jason said lowly, glare still on his face. Bruce looked up at him with a concerned expression.

"Jason, are you sure? That's Amusement Mile-"

"I know. The Joker's home base. So what? He's dead, I'll be fine. Relax," Jason said evenly, a hint of annoyance in his tone. Nobody looked convinced but Jason was glad they opted not to push the issue.

"Alright then, let's go," Bruce said evenly.

* * *

Batman, Robin, Nightwing, Arsenal and Red Hood all arrived at Amusement Mile. It was late and night and looked ominous and almost eerie as ever. Oracle kept in contact from the Clock Tower, and Red Hood called for his Knights to surround the place.

Amusement Mile had been abandoned decades ago, but after the Joker took up residence here, no one dared try to re-open it. The people of Gotham could be quite superstitious and as such, it was believed that the Joker had 'tainted' the place. Considering how many people he killed, how much evil he had committed, honestly, even the non-superstitious might be dissuaded from going anywhere near it.

But here they were, on the hunt for Scarecrow. This was, ironically, the perfect place for someone like Scarecrow to make his home base; with how eerie it appeared and the dark reputation attached to it, it was a perfect fit. Unfortunately for Scarecrow, none of them were unnerved I the least by the place.

"Keep your wits about you. Robin, with me. Nightwing, Red Hood, and Arsenal, split up and search the place," Batman ordered. The five vigilantes split up and began their search of Amusement Mile. No sooner had they split up, that a loud squeal echoed through the night, indicating an intercom had been activated.

"Welcome my mortal enemies. Scarecrow, at your service. And I'd like to welcome you all to your ends. I have a special surprise in store for all of you," Scarecrow's voice called, followed by a dark laugh. The intercom clicked off again and once more, the park fell silent.

Batman and Robin moved stealthily across Amusement Mile. Robin has his staff at the ready, the both of them on high alert.

"Keep your wits about you, Robin. We're not alone," Batman whispered, eyes narrowing.

"That's right. You're not, Batman," came Scarecrow's voice. Batman and Robin spun around, and Robin was tackled by Killer Croc.

"And now it's just me and you, Batman. Tonight, you become a myth, and I will become a legend! Feared throughout all of Gotham!" Scarecrow taunted, lunging in at Batman.

* * *

Nightwing looked around the abandoned theme park, having found an old circus tent. It was a miracle it was still standing, but what really bothered him was the fact that he _felt_ like he was being watched.

"Whose there?!" Nightwing shouted, drawing his escrima sticks, heaving heard the sounds of footsteps around him.

"Got a score to settle with you, Nightwing," Blockbuster growled as he landed in front of Nightwing with a crash. Nightwing's eyes went wide in horror as he stumbled backward.

"N-no...it's not possible! You're dead!" Nightwing stammered. Blockbuster laughed and lunged at Nightwing, punching him hard and sending him flying backwards. Nightwing fired his grappling gun to the trapeze platform above to recover.

"I got better," Blockbuster replied.

* * *

Arsenal drew his bow and nocked an arrow, moving through isles of long abandoned booths of the amusement park, ready to attack at any moment. He could sense someone else was nearby, that he was being watched.

"Well, well, well, aren't you a handsome one," came a woman's voice. Arsenal growled and looked toward the source to find a woman with long black hair, garbed in green with dual sai and a white mask, resembling a cat's head with red stripes and a wide grin.

"Cheshire."

"So you've heard of me? I'm flattered."

"I do my homework."

"Let's just see how well," Cheshire replied, as she dived off of the roof of one of the booths and attacked Arsenal. Arsenal jumped back to avoid the attack and fired a arrow, which she deflected with a sai.

"What're you doing here?! What do the Shadows want?" Arsenal asked. Cheshire laughed in amusement as she lunged forward for another attack.

"The Shadiws have nothing to do with it. This is personal. Just wanted to see my favorite archer," Cheshire said sweetly as Arsenal ducked another attack.

"When I heard about Scarecrow's little game, I simply couldn't resist!"

* * *

Red Hood entered the fun house, which was a bad idea based on every horror movie he'd ever seen, but then again, he was a bit smarter than the idiots in Hollywood.

"Come out Scarecrow, and face me like a man," Hood growled.

"Face you? Like a man? Pretty bold words from someone hiding behind a mask," Scarecrow's voice called over the intercom. Another laugh sounded, followed by another comment from the Scarecrow "of course, I don't need you to take your mask off to see your fears."

Red Hood heard an all-too-familiar giggle in the dark. He flinched, eyes widening.

"No way it's him. It's just a trick. Scarecrow's mind games," Hood muttered to himself. He shook his head and continued forward. He heard footsteps in the darkness around him and drew both his guns, prepared for a fight.

"Whoever is there, come out now!" Hood growled.

"As you wish, little birdie!" came a voice that made Jason's blood run cold. A light flicked on and standing in it, was the Joker. The demented clown raised his head, a sadistic grin on his face.

"No. No! You're dead!" Jason shouted angrily, and fearfully. The Joker cackled and shook his head.

"Me? Dead? Oh, I remember now! You fell for the ol' fake Joker gag! That's a good one, isn't it?" The Joker asked with a sick grin. He drew a bloody crowbar from his jacket and took a step toward Hood.

"You've been a naughty boy. I suppose I'll have to teach you some manners!" The Joker cackled.

* * *

 **Note : ****Finally back! My computer's been down for the last four or five days. And I had to kind of wing this chapter, because I forgot what I was going to do with it over the last few days. So...kind of writer's blocked on this one as a result. x_x Anywho, enjoy. ^^**


	11. A Little Strange

**A Little Strange**

Batman dodged an attack from Scarecrow as the man attempted to inject him with his syringes. He could hear Robin fighting with Killer Croc nearby, but currently, he had to focus on Scarecrow.

"Hugo Strange," Batman said, dodging another attack. Scarecrow laughed as he lunged in at Batman again.

"So the detective has it all figured out? Cute," Scarecrow replied, throwing several fear gas grenades. Batman pulled out a rebreather and covered his face while ducking back from another syringe attack.

"Not all of it, but Hugo Strange is dangerous enough to warrant extra attention. His escape from Arkham did not go unnoticed for too long," Batman answered, punching Scarecrow in the face. Batman grabbed him by the arm and wrenched him forward, elbowing him in the gut before kicking him to the ground.

* * *

Nightwing dodged the attacks aimed his way, unable to attack. Seeing Blockbuster before him, now, his mind kept flashing back to Bludhaven. To the night Tarantula killed him. He was reminded of the torment Blockbuster put him through, both physical and mental, reminded of his failures, of everything.

"I'm gonna break you, Nightwing. And then I'm gonna drag your bloody carcass back to Bludhaven and show everyone that Bludhaven belongs to me!" Nightwing didn't answer, couldn't find words as Blockbuster landed another punch, sending him crashing into the stands.

 _It's all my fault._ Nightwing's thoughts turned dark again, blaming himself for everything. He tried to contact the others, to contact Oracle, but something was interfering with their channel. All he got was static.

"I won't fail again," Nightwing growled to himself, avoiding another attack. He charged his escrima sticks with electricity and lunged in for the attack. He ducked a swing from Blockbuster, then another, and another, before he finally got his opening. He dived from from above and struck Blockbuster, unleashing a furious combo attack. Blockbuster howled in pain...and then his face seemingly melted.

"Clayface," Nightwing growled, glaring at the super villain. Clayface chuckled darkly and rose to his full height.

"Woops. Little secret's out," he said, swinging an arm, turned into a giant hammer. Nightwing dodged the attack, rolling to a stop. Clayface laughed as he lunged at Nightwing, turning one arm into a giant flail, and the other into a hammer. He brought the flail down, which Nightwing avoided by jumping backwards, then brought the hammer over with a side swipe. Nightwing did a full split to duck the attack, then pushed himself up into the air, doing a somersault and throwing several small pellets at Clayface.

Clayface raised an arm and formed a shield to block the attack, but when the pellets struck, they exploded and the clay started to harden.

"Argh, dammit, not again!" Clayface growled as his entire body hardened, trapping him completely. Nightwing stood before the defeated Clayface and glared, turning his back and heading out of the tent. Static sounded over his comm link before it finally cleared up.

"Can anyone hear me?" came Oracle's voice.

"Oracle, it's Nightwing! I read you!"

"Batman here."

"Robin reading loud and clear."

"I can't pick up Arsenal or Red Hood, there's still heavy interference," Oracle explained.

"Listen. I've captured Scarecrow, but be on the lookout for Hugo Strange. He's working with Scarecrow, using and analyzing our fears to determine out identities," came Batman's voice.

"So in other words, this was as much about destroying as as being some twisted game?" Nightwing asked.

"So it would seem."

* * *

The Red Hood growled angrily and lunged at the Joker.

"You son of a bitch! This time when I kill you, I'll make sure you're dead!' Hood roared. The Joker cackled maniacally and ducked back, swinging his crowbar and slamming Hood in the head. He stumbled back and growled, only to be struck again and again.

"Argh! I won't die again! Not again and not to you! If I die again, it'll be on my own damn terms!" Red Hood shouted angrily, whipping off his helmet, still wearing a red domino mask underneath. He drew his hand guns and fired at the sadistic clown. The Joker laughed and ran from the gun fire.

"We got ourselves a fighter! I love it when my victims fight back! Makes the game more fun!" The Joker cackled.

"Go back to hell where you belong!" Hood roared, lunging in after the Joker. He was furious, but more than that, scared. It didn't seem like it, but he was. As a result, his attacks were barely landing as the clown dodged and blocked.

"Aw, what's wrong?! Not scared of little ol' me, are you?" The Joker taunted, slamming Red Hood in the face with a crow bar. Hood stumbled backwards and The Joker struck again, and again. And every time he struck, his memories flashed back to that warehouse. With each strike, he briefly became that scared teenage boy, alone, beaten and bloody in that warehouse, hoping beyond hope that Batman would come and save him.

"Can't break a bat without breaking a few birds!" The Joker said menacingly, letting out a demented giggled. Hood struck back, sending the Joker stumbling backwards. Hood attempted to make another strike, but Joker ducked backwards and brought the crowbar up, striking his jaw hard. Hood stumbled backwards and finally collapsed.

"Well, well, well. Looks like this birdy is all out of fight," the Joker said darkly. He brought the crowbar down on Hood, grunts and gasps of pain filling the room, along with the Joker's demented laughter.

Hood struggled to push himself up, coughing up blood as he fell back to the ground.

"I...won't die...like this...again," he muttered, his body aching. The Joker grinned devilishly and placed a foot on his back, pinning him to the ground again.

"This time when I kill you, stay dead," The Joker said darkly. He raised his crowbar for the final strike, when suddenly, an arrow whizzed through the room. Hood cracked open in eye to see a red shaft whiz through the air and strike a light switch, The lights came on, and the Joker vanished.

"Holy shit. Hood, are you okay?" Roy asked, kneeling beside him and helping him sit up. Jason groaned and wrapped an arm around his side.

"The Joker...he's alive," Jason groaned. Roy frowned as he looked around the room. There was some kind of dust everywhere. He swiped his finger through it, then looked at Jason.

"I've seen this shit before. Very potent and powerful dust. Mixed with Scarecrow's fear toxin. It creates a hallucination so strong that iteven _feels_ real," Roy explained. Jason groaned again and shook his head, wrapping an arm around Roy's shoulders.

"C'mon, let's get you out of here," Roy murmured. He grabbed up Jason's Helmet and helped him out of the building.

"Hood, Arsenal, thank god," came Nightwing's voice.

"We haven't been able to get a hold of you," Oracle chimed in,

"We're okay. Hood is in bad shape, I'm getting him out of here," Arsenal replied.

"Okay. We're closing in on Strange. Robin, keep a lookout and make sure he doesn't escape," Nightwing answered.

"Roger that," Robin replied.

* * *

Batman, Robin and Nightwing moved into Joker's Funhouse in search of Strange. They found the short, black-haired man sitting in front of several monitors.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the Batman," Strange said with his thick accent. He spun in his chair, garbed in his usual white suit, smug grin on his face and fingers steepled.

Batman's eyes narrowed as he glared at the super villain. Hugo Strange didn't look like much, but he was a genius and a brilliant psychologist, making him one of the most dangerous men in Gotham City.

"So-" Nightwing began, but Strange interrupted.

"I know what you're going to ask. This was all a little game. You see, Doctor Crane's fascination with fear made him a most interesting psychological case. I chose to work with him, for the psychological power of fear itself is interesting indeed," Strange said in an even tone, rising to his feet. He folded his hands behind his back and grinned.

"So we set up this little game. Well, _my_ little game. Together, we chose your most feared and hated enemy's stomping grounds, released Clayface and poisoned The Red Hood with fear dust. Fear, interestingly enough, gives one a glance beneath a person's mask, both metaphorical and-" Strange grinned widely "literal."

"The game is over, Strange," Batman growled, drawing a pair of cuffs. Strange chuckled in amusement and held his hands out in surrender.

"Indeed. But tonight's session has been most informative. It has given me much to contemplate. So by all means, send me back to my cozy little cell in Arkham," Strange said, grin widening as Batman clapped the cuffs on him.

"Until next time, Batman," Strange said with a laugh as GCPD sirens sounded outside. Moments later some officers escorted him away. Nightwing, Robin and Batman exchanged looks.

"Tonight has been a long night. I think some rest...and maybe some reflection is in order," Batman said smoothly, placing a hand on Nightwing's shoulder. Nightwing looked at Batman, catching the knowing look in his eye. He frowned, then nodded.

"Yeah."

* * *

Jason groaned as Roy wrapped the bandages tightly around his waist. He's head had been wrapped as well as his left arm, and right ankle and he had patches over wounds on his back and chest.

"That dust really did a number on your ass Jaybird," Roy teased, earning a glare from Jason.

"Not one joke, Roy, or I'll shoot you in your face," Jason growled, his tone holding just as much playfulness as annoyance. Roy raised his hands defensively and laughed. Jason groaned and let himself lay back on his bed.

"The Joker is still fucking me up even after he'd been dead," Jason said softly. Roy glanced back at him with a sorrowful compression resting a hand on his shoulder.

"It's gonna take a long time to get over that trauma, Jason," Roy began, licking his lips "and trauma tends to linger, as...we both know." Jason snorted.

"But you don't have to go through it alone, y'know? You got me and Dick. And, as much as I know you hate to hear it, Bruce." Jason snorted again and rolled over on his side.

"Sure, we can talk about this shit tomorrow. I ache to much to play therapy right now." Roy chuckled in amusement and affectionately patted Jason's arm. Jason sighed a little at the contact. Though he'd never admit it, it was comforting, and he was...glad for it. It was a reminder that he wasn't alone. Especially after what happened at Amusement Mile.

"On the upside, I met a girl tonight," Roy said in a cocky tone. Jason rolled over on his side and quirked an eyebrow.

"You met a girl tonight? When the fuck did you do that?" Jason asked with a highly skeptical look. Roy grinned at him and shrugged.

"Well, technically I've met her before."

"Uh huh."

"And she tried to kill me. Twice. Tonight included," Roy said matter of factly. Jason's eyebrow arched even higher.

"You're fucking crazy." Roy laughed and waved his hand dismissively.

"Oh no, I can feel it, there's something between us."

"Who is this mystery woman?"

"Cheshire," Roy said smoothly. Jason snorted.

"Cheshire? Of the League of Shadows? Yeah, you're fucking crazy," Jason said, rolling back over on his side.

"Pfft, shut up and go to sleep," Roy replied, earning the finger in response.

* * *

Dick drove to Jason and Roy's apartment from his own after he patched himself up. He had an idea of what that dust had made Jason see and experience, and to say he was concerned was an understatement. The Joker left a scar on Jason, there was no denying it. Everyone could see it, especially those close to him. Dick felt this need to be there for him, to help him any way he could. And so here he was.

He pulled up to the apartment building, turning the engine off. He sighed and raked a hand through his hair, rehearsing what he wanted to say one final time before making his way inside. He made his way up the stairs and to the apartment...and knocked, hesitantly. A minute passed. Then two. Then finally after what felt like an eternity.

"Dick. What's up?" Roy asked. Dick opened his mouth to speak, but no words came. Then, despite his best efforts, he blushed crimson. Roy grinned like the Cheshire Cat and stepped aside, inviting him inside.

"Dude, you've got it bad," Roy remarked. Dick blushed an even deeper shade of red and flashed a smile at Roy.

"I know." Roy's smiled faded as he led Dick into Jason's bedroom. Jason was asleep, curled into a ball on his bed.

"Is he...okay?" Dick asked softly, biting his lip. Roy shook his head.

"Not doing too good tonight. He's already woken up twice from nightmares," Roy said. Dick felt his heart break a little, even more so when he saw Jason's body shudder in that ball in his bed.

"I-"

"Stay with him? I...think it might help. If you were here," Roy suggested. Dick blushed again, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"I promise not to make any awkward jokes," Roy promised with a smile. Dick smiled back and nodded and Roy snuck out of the room. Dick kicked off his shoes, then tiptoed toward the bed. He carefully sunk onto the bed, behind Jason, and wrapped his arms around him, curling behind him, holding him close. He felt another shudder from Jason, heard a desperate moan. Dick bit his lip, then kissed his neck gently.

"It's okay Jason. I'm here. You're safe," Dick whispered softly, kissing his neck again then burying his face in the man's hair. Jason's body seemed to relax against his a little. Dick sighed deeply, taking in Jason's sent before he drifted off to sleep. That night, Jason didn't have another nightmare.


	12. Where I Belong

**WARNING** **:** Ultra fluffy ending chapter ahead! You have been warned! ^^

* * *

 **Where I Belong**

Jason stirred first, the room still relatively dark, the curtains closed and blocking the sunlight of the morning sun. He groaned a bit, uncurling from his ball, remembering the nightmares, but something else caught his attention. He noticed a pair of arms around him, felt little puffs of breath on his neck. He turned in the arms around him and his eyes met with a sleeping Dick Grayson. Jason frowned at first, wondering when Dick had gotten there. He blushed a bit though, when he remembered at some point last night, feeling safe and protected.

Jason sighed quietly but when he next looked up, Dick was awake, smiling at him.

"Creep," Jason muttered softly. Dick chuckled lightly and placed a kiss to Jason's forehead.

"You love it," Dick said softly, kissing Jason's lips this time. Jason's hand slid through Dick's hair, holding him in place so he could kiss back. He tongue swiped along his bottom lip, and Dick parted his lips so Jason could slide his tongue into the man's mouth. Dick wrapped his arms tighter around Jason, pulling him closer to his body. He deepened the kiss, his hand threading through Jason's hair, lingering on the lock of white. He didn't know why, but somehow he found it...attractive.

He moaned softly into the kiss, their lips melting together perfectly. This whole situation felt so surreal. Sure, they'd had moments like these before, and yet...for so long, Dick dreamt of having moments like these with Jason. To just hold him or lay in his arms, in bed. The slow, gentle kisses that could stretch on into eternity, and just being with him in general...it was everything he imagined and even though he was living it now, it still felt so..ephemeral, unreal.

"I love you," Jason said softly, against Dick's lips. Dick pulled back, shocked at first. Did Jason just say...?

"What did you say?" Dick breathed. Jason managed a small smile, pressing a quick kiss to his lips.

"I said, I love you," Jason repeated. And when Dick's face lit up, when he saw what had to be the brightest, happiest look he'd ever seen on the man's face, his heart melted a little. Dick rolled on top of him, and sealed their lips together in a deep, tender kiss, pouring every ounce of his being into it. Jason had finally said it to him, finally said 'I love you' to him, the words he'd so longed to hear.

Jason smiled into the kiss, wrapped his arms around Dick's waist as he happily kissed him back. He found that he really enjoyed these moments, more than he thought he would; the slow, passionate kisses, just taking all the time in the world to enjoy it. But Dick was happy and so he was happy. And in moments like these, he realized just how in love he was with the man. He was practically head over heels, and sometimes he wondered to himself _what did I do to deserve this? To deserve this love?_ He felt so lucky.

"Jason-" came Roy's voice as he stumbled into the bedroom. Dick and Jason both parted, faces painted pink, Jason glaring at Roy.

"Er...sorry. Did I disturb another moment?" Roy asked with a sly grin. Jason snorted and pointed to the door.

"Yes, you did. Now get out so we can fuck," Jason ordered. Dick looked down at him with a surprised look, his face burning in embarrassment. Jason looked up at him and grinned and Roy excused himself from the room.

"Yes, of course. Try not to wake the whole neighborhood, hmm?" Roy teased, before closing the door behind him. Jason sat up and Dick moved to sit in his lap. The two of them were silent for a time, looking around the room a bit before finally locking eyes.

"What do you say Dickie? Just you and me this time?" Jason asked with a warm smile, a smile devoid of lust, cockiness, or sass. Dick smiled back at the man, framing his face with his hands and leaning in close to capture his lips in a chaste kiss.

"I think I could do that," Dick replied softly, slowly pulling his shirt up and off, tossing it to the floor. Jason wasted no time, his hands immediately touching the skin of his stomach, exploring the man's body; his back, his chest, everything he could touch. As if mesmerized, Jason stared at Dick's body with heated eyes, feeling the taut muscles underneath the beautiful golden skin. His fingers brushed lightly over the his abs, drawing a quick breath out of Dick. Jason grinned up at him, placing a quick kiss on his chest.

"Ticklish?" Jason asked with a sly grin. Dick blushed a bit, grinning back just as slyly.

"Just a little," Dick replied so Jason took the opportunity to run his fingers over Dick's stomach again, feather light touched meant to tease and tickle. Dick's breath hitched as his stifled a laugh, which turned into a moan when Jason took one of his nipples into his mouth, nibbling lightly on the bud.

"Dammit Jay-ah-stop teasing me," Dick breathed. Jason grinned as he worked his way up and peppered the mans' neck in kisses and mark, kissing and marking the tender flesh. Dick threaded his fingers through Jason's hair, but his breath hitched again when he felt the button on his jeans pop open. He held his breath for what fekt like an eternity as the zipped was slowly tugged down. He released the shuddering breath when Jason's hand slipped into his boxers and gripped his cock.

Jason grinned as he continued his assault on Dick's neck, tightening his grip on the man's cock and pumping him in slow, torturous strokes, reveling at how the man had become putty in his hands. Dick's gasps and soft moans of pleasure sent jolts up his spine. He could feel his cock hardening, his jeans getting tighter, his body begging for release. But for the first time in his life, he wanted to take this slow, make it last, and enjoy every moment. Every touch, every kiss, every gentle caress, every sensation.

"Jay...please," Dick begged softly. Jason grinned again and stopped everything. Dick whimpered slightly at the loss but leaned down and kissed Jason hard. Tongues dancing, lips melting together, hands caressing. Dick slid out of the man's lap and pulled off his shirt, then worked off his jeans and boxers, pushing his own down, and off onto the floor.

"In a hurry, Dickie?" Jason teased with a cocky grin as Dick pushed him back onto the bed. Dick smirked at him, saying nothing before laying on top of him and kissing him again. The two of them explored each other's bodies, hands sliding across skin. Dick occasionally stopped at a scar, caressing the skin around it, which sent sparks through Jason's body. Dick truly loved everything about him.

"Jaybird," Dick said softly when they parted. Jason looked up at him, his hands on his waist, massaging patters into the skin with his thumbs. His face was tinted pink, not that Dick was doing any better. Dick cupped his jaw, thumb stroking over his cheek.

"I...Jason...can I..." Dick paused, biting his lip. Jason let out a breath and stared up into Dick's eyes.

"Anything," he breathed. Dick chewed his lip again.

"Can I fuck you?" Dick asked softly. Jason froze, face going blank. Dick wanted...to fuck him. Wanted to...be inside him? Jason didn't know what to do or say. In his childhood, he didn't really...have a choice. But when he got older, when he could fight, that changed. Even with Roy, it took a while to get comfortable with the idea of letting Roy inside him. But...this was Dick, the man he loved. And Dick would never hurt him, never do anything he didn't want.

"It's okay if-"

"Yes," Jason breathed. Dick looked down at him, slightly surprised, then a warm smile spread over his face as he leaned down and kissed him gently.

"Tell me...how you want it. I'll make it good, perfect even," he whispered in the other man's ear. Jason's face heated up again and he bit his lip. Roy was the only person he'd ever slept with and it was always..fast, rough, a frenzy of motion and sensations. He'd never known it any other way. But deep down, he's always craved that kind of gentle touch that he'd never truly experienced before. He wanted to be taken care of, he wanted it unhurried, thorough, he wanted the moment to last.

"Gentle," Jason managed, face burning crimson as he averted his eyes. Dick smiled and leaned down, kissing his lips, soft and sweet, more gently than his usual kisses and somehow, it felt so much better than anything else.

"I'll make love to you, and take care of you. I'll make it good, I promise," Dick whispered sweetly blindly searching the nightstand for lube. He found it and popped the cap off, spreading Jason's legs apart and settling between them. He lubed up his index finger and gently massaged the entrance between Jason's cheeks. Jason's breath hitched at the sensation and Dick leaned down and lavished his neck in little kisses, nips and licks, occasionally drawing up a mark. He worked the single digit inside him and pushed inside, earning a gasp of pleasure as Jason's back arched off of the bed.

True to his word, Dick was gentle, so gentle, with everything. Every touch, every kiss, was slow, and careful. It was almost too much. It made his heart flutter and his stomach heat up, and the way every touch was just so...affectionate...it was so surreal. He felt another finger press inside him, slowly and carefully.

"Dammit...Dickie, hurry up, I'm dying here," Jason breathed, followed by another gasp as Dick hit that sweet spot deep inside him.

"God, Dick do that again!" Jason breath and Dick smiled, rubbing his fingers continuously against his prostate. The way Jason responded to him had him impossibly hard. He groaned softly and gripped his own dick, stroking himself slowly as he worked his fingers inside Jason. He added a third, stretching him a little bot more, the needy, wanton noises coming from Jason just driving him mad.

"I won't break, Dick. Please, just...get in me," Jason breath again. Dick sighed shakily, nervously, as he moved, grabbing his cock and positioning himself at Jason's entrance. With his other hand, he enlaced his fingers with Jason's, and looked into his eyes.

"Are you ready, little wing?" Dick asked softly, smiling at him. Jason just nodded and Dick pushed the tip of his penis inside. He pulled one of Jason's legs over his shoulder to get a better angle, lips parted and panting, and then finally buried himself inside Jason's tight heat. Jason groaned loudly at the feeling of being full. Dick was inside him. That thought alone drove him insane.

"Little wing," Dick panted softly, making one slow, shallow thrust.

"J-just move dammit. I won't break," Jason snapped softly. Dick chuckled in amusement as he gave a few slow, shallow thrusts.

"You're pretty bossy for a bottom," Dick breathed. Jason glared at him, another whimper pulled out of him as Dick's cock struck his prostate.

"Fuck you."

"No, you," Dick replied easily. Dick began to increase the pace and the depth, pulling out just to the tip before sliding back in, the whole thing slow and gentle, wanted to make this last, to make it good, for Jason. But good god, it was the most amazing feeling in the world, to be inside the one you love, making love to them, every moment a little slice of heaven.

"Damn, you feel so good around my cock, little wing," Dick breathed out, a small smile on his face. Jason lost his entire vocabulary, only the sounds of panting and moaning passing his lips. Dick's thrusts became deeper, faster, but still gentle, striking his prostate with every thrust. Jason could feel himself growing closer to orgasm with every minute. Sex with Roy was always over quickly and could sometimes be painful, but the good kind of pain. But this was...something else entirely.

"Dickie," Jason breathed out "fuck me. Hard. God damn." Dick chuckled breathlessly, internally glad for it, because he was losing his self control. He pulled out to the tip and slammed back inside, fucking Jason hard, angling his hips to strike his prostate on every thrust. Jason damn near screamed as Dick slammed into him, his thrusts growing harder, faster. Gentle was nice, but fuck, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Jaybird, I'm...so close," Dick breathed, squeezing Jason's fingers as he fucked him hard. Jason cried out in pleasure, a loud moan, bordering on a scream, tearing itself from his throat as he came hard, cum splattering across his chest and stomach. Dick kept fucking him at an almost brutal pace.

"Jason!" Dick cried out as he came hard inside Jason with one final thrust. He kept moving, kept thrusting inside, almost like a man possessed until finally, his energy was spent. He collapsed on top of Jason, rolling off of him moments later. The two men lay side by side, chests heaving, breathing heavy.

Jason and Dick turned their heads, eyes meeting. They smiled at each other before they leaned toward one another to shared a slow, gentle kiss. Dick parted from him and grabbed some tissue, cleaning them up. He kissed Jason once more, discarding the tissue, then caressed his face softly.

"I told you I'd take care of you," he said. Jason heaved a sigh and wrapped an arm around Dick, tugging him against his body, just holding him. Dick felt weary and settled into the man's arms.

"Thank you Jay," he said softly. Jason stared at him through hooded eyes before pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"I love you. Now shut up and go to sleep," Jason said softly. Dick chuckled softly and buried his face in the man's neck, curling up in the man's arms.

"Jerk," he whispered.

"Bitch," Jason answered. Dick tilted his head up again and his eyes met Jason's. Dick smiled, and when he kissed Jason again, Jason saw stars. They had something special, a deep love, something Jason had never truly experienced before in his life. He felt loved and wanted, warm and happy, and he knew in this moment and all that came before, that this was where he belonged, that this was who he belonged with. No one was going to take this away from him.


End file.
